Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) was defeated by Democratic challenger Laura Gillen in the fight for New York’s 4th Congressional District, dealing a blow to Republicans as they look to maintain their slim majority next year.
Gillen defeated D’Esposito with 51% of the vote with more than 95% of ballots counted. The Associated Press called the race at 12:39 p.m. Thursday.
The race has been one of the most competitive of the 2024 cycle, particularly after D’Esposito flipped the seat in Republicans’ favor during the 2022 midterm elections. That victory was crucial for the GOP to win the House majority and has been central to the party’s efforts to defend it.
The race has been locked as a tossup since D’Esposito took office as the district is rated as D+5. President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in the district by 12 points in 2020.
2024 ELECTIONS LATEST NEWS: CAMPAIGN UPDATES, POLLS, AND LIVE RESULTS
However, things got more competitive in recent weeks after a report came out that D’Esposito had an affair and then placed the woman on his payroll, according to the New York Times. It also reported that D’Esposito hired his fiancee’s daughter to work in his district office. Both instances raised ethical questions.
D’Esposito denied the allegations, calling it a “partisan hit piece” that was politically motivated.
This story is breaking and will be updated.