When all the dust settled on the election for New York’s 24th Congressional District, incumbent Rep. John Katko was able to hold off a strong challenge from his Democratic challenger Dana Balter to win his third term as a congressman.

Katko’s six-point margin of victory was the closest race he has faced in his three elections, which was something he praised Balter for in his victory speech.

“I want you to give a round of applause to my opponent, Dana Balter,” Katko said. “She ran a very good campaign. She’s a very tough opponent. And I really hope she doesn’t want to run again in two years, because she’s tough.”

Even in victory for Katko, the night was not as celebratory as he would have liked, as the Republican Party lost control of the House. The upcoming Congress will be Katko’s first time in the minority party in his four-year, two-term tenure.

Though it will be unknown territory for Katko, he based his campaign on not being defined by his party affiliation. Following his announcement of victory, he addressed the news that the House of Representatives was now in Democratic control.

“Listen, the House flipped tonight, so I’m going to be in the minority,” Katko said. “But that doesn’t change a thing about how I’m going to act. From the moment I went into Congress, I said I’m going to work in a bipartisan manner, and I’m going to continue to do that.”

Katko also made an overture to the Democrat constituent in the district, as he tried to portray a message of unity moving forward.

“We will do the best we can to lead all of you, not just some of you, and not just Republicans,” Katko said in a speech to supporters. “And to all of the Democrats who didn’t vote for me, I understand your concerns and I get it. I will work hard to earn your trust moving forward.”

A six-point victory in what has been historically easy district for Katko to carry was indicative of trends seen throughout many of New York’s congressional districts throughout the night.

Tightly contested seats in upstate New York occupied by Republicans came down to the wire, and as a result, Katko will be traveling to Washington, D.C. in January to a very different environment, losing fellow New York Republicans in Claudia Tenney and John Faso.

As for Balter, her path is much less clear following the results of Tuesday’s election.

“She didn’t take any questions from the press,” Syracuse.com reporter Julie McMahon said. “If she did, that would have been the first thing I would have asked her is what her future plans are.”

Balter’s concession speech was about 10 minutes in length, and the majority of it was addressing her supporters.

“You are this,” Balter said. “You are this campaign, and we are the change. You inspire me every day.”

Following this, the Democratic nominee took a similar stance to her Republican opponent and called for unity among those in NY-24 to move past this contentious campaign.

“I am calling on all central and western New Yorkers,” Balter said. “Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Working Families, conservatives: remember, what unites us is far stronger than what divides us.”

In the scope of New York, this race was one of the most closely watched because of the large Democrat population in urban Syracuse.

“She was down in the polls by quite a bit for a long time,” New York State Democratic Party Field Organizer Derek Smith said. “The fact she was able to get it down to six points is pretty impressive with all things considered.”

In a moment, that was in character for Balter, considering the way she ran her campaign. She talked about her pride in being part of a progressive liberal movement attempting to create change.

“I am proud to be part of the movement all across the country of regular people saying, ‘We’re better than this,’” Balter said. “I am especially proud to be among the record number of women running.”

A record 98 women (and counting) were elected to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, smashing the previous record of 84.

Moving back to NY-24, Katko will return to Washington with a renewed focus following the campaign, hoping to still govern effectively regardless of who else is in the chamber.

“I believe in this country and what’s right,” Katko said. “Whoever is in the majority is less important to me than how we conduct ourselves as congressmen and congresswomen.”

Photo by Jim McGregor | The Oswegonian