Democrat Cait Conley defeated Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in New York's 17th Congressional District, flipping a Hudson Valley seat both parties had targeted, while Westchester County began counting ballots that its scanners rejected on Election Day.
Lawler conceded Tuesday night without waiting for the Westchester count. He said it would be "pretty clear that we will be short" once those ballots were tallied, Spectrum News reported.
Conley led by more than 11,800 votes as of 11:15 p.m., Spectrum News reported, citing The Associated Press. That margin did not include Westchester voting machines, and Westchester was expected to be Conley's strongest county.
Scanners across Westchester rejected ballots Tuesday after what the State Board of Elections called a late update to the county's election programming. Voters filled out paper ballots, which poll workers sealed in orange emergency bags. Police escorted the bags to the county Board of Elections, where counting was scheduled to begin Wednesday morning, ABC7 New York reported.
County Executive Ken Jenkins said more than 200,000 ballots could have been affected, according to Patch. Both candidates had sought a joint court order on how to count them, Gothamist reported.
Conley is an Army veteran and former national security official. Lawler won the seat in 2022 and was running for a third term.
In New Jersey's 7th District, Democrat Rebecca Bennett defeated Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. Bennett said Kean called to congratulate her.
The Westchester count was still underway Wednesday morning. Final margins were not available.