With Crowley's Defeat, New York Voters Send a Big Message

Joe Crowley, the ten-term Congressman and Queens Democratic Party boss, became the first Congressional Democrat in the nation to lose a primary Tuesday.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed the nomination for the 14th District, spanning Queens and the Bronx, with a high-energy campaign that was uncompromising in its progressive positions. On the trail, Ocasio-Cortez pledged to eliminate the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, create a federal promise of a job for every American and provide a public college education tuition-free.

"We were so clear about our values," Ocasio-Cortez told NY1 after she was declared the winner. "We were always naming what we want to accomplish. And whether people said 'Oh, can you get that done in this Congress or not?' they knew that they wanted a Congresswoman...that fought for those things."

Ocasio-Cortez, 28, has been knocking on doors since last year. Before that, she helped out Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign.

This WNYC video captures insurgent candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez knocking on doors last summer in her successful campaign against powerful Queens Congressman Joe Crowley. 

Ocasio-Cortez argued the changing demographics of the district — where a majority of the residents are a minority — worked in her favor. And she criticized Crowley for his ties to big-money donors and his leadership of the Queens Democratic Party.

"How is it that five Irish dudes just handed this seat to each other for the last 50 years?" Ocasio-Cortez asked as she and a WNYC reporter canvassed the district last summer.

Crowley has spent more than 15 times as much money as Ocasio-Cortez this cycle, but the upstart drew the endorsement of national progressive groups like MoveOn.org.

In his concession speech, Crowley congratulated his opponent and said he'll still work toward the big goal — taking back the House this fall.

"I may have been sacrificed a little early," Crowley said. "In that cause I'm committed to that end. Because I believe if we don't win back the House, we will not recognize the nation that we love."

Crowley's defeat is certain to shake-up national Democrats as they prepare for November. Crowley is a key ally of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and his loss could make it less likely Pelosi remains her party's leader after the general election.

Crowley favored Medicare for all, but national Democrats have been slow to embrace the issue. Democrats may reconsider that position, as well as others pushed by the party's progressive wing.

Ocasio-Cortez will take on Republican Anthony Pappas in the fall, in a district that heavily favors Democrats.

There's was no upset — or comeback — in the city's highest-profile primary, the Republican race in the 11th District covering Staten Island and a piece of Brooklyn.

Incumbent Dan Donovan easily defeated challenger Michael Grimm, who was seeking to regain the seat he gave up after pleading guilty to federal tax fraud charges.

The race was all about President Donald Trump, with both Republicans arguing they were the better ally in Congress. Grimm criticized Donovan for voting against repealing the Affordable Care Act, punishing so-called sanctuary cities that protect undocumented immigrants and the tax-cut bill that capped property and income tax deductions popular claimed by many New York taxpayers.

But Trump endorsed Donovan — absolving Donovan of those votes. The president argued that Donovan was more likely to win the district this fall.

Donovan will be taking on Max Rose, an Army vet who cruised to victory in a six-way primary. Rose had the support of national Democrats, who believe he's a good match for the district and could win this fall despite Republican's historical dominance.

In a Hudson Valley swing district expected to be one of the nation's most expensive races this fall, attorney Antonio Delgado beat out six Democratic challengers — including a former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo — for the right to take on Republican John Faso in New York's 19th District.

The primary was the seventh-most expensive House race in the country so far this cycle, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.

The district voted for Bernie Sanders in the last presidential primary, but Delgado ran a more moderate campaign. The former college basketball player and rapper eschewed Medicare-for-all in favor of "universal coverage" that would combine private insurance and government programs, like Medicare, to expand coverage.

While Crowley was the only incumbent to lose Tuesday night, several other challengers came close to upsets.

In Brooklyn's 9th Congressional District, incumbent Yvette Clarke led by about 1,100 votes with nearly all precincts counted. Her challenger, 30-year-old Adem Bunkedekko, was another first-time candidate who attended Harvard Business School and worked as a neighborhood organizer.

Bunkedekko argued Clarke was out-of-touch with the district and not doing enough in Congress on issues like affordable housing.

In the 12th District, covering the east side of Manhattan and parts of Queens and Brooklyn, 13-term Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney won the nomination despite a serious challenge from hotel executive and business ethics professor Suraj Patel. Patel spent more than $1 million on the race, questioning Maloney's past votes in favor of the Iraq War  and the Clinton-era crime bill. Patel also dug up footage of Maloney suggesting a link between vaccines and autism at a Congressional hearing.

But Patel also drew criticism for his campaign tactics, including using fake photos to connect with people on dating apps and then pitching his candidacy.