Tenney Declares Victory in New York's 24th District
Republican incumbent Claudia Tenney declared victory over Democrat Alissa Ellman in New York's 24th Congressional District.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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With 500 of 597 election districts reporting, Republican incumbent Claudia Tenney led Democrat Alissa Ellman 59% to 40%, according to preliminary results from the state Board of Elections. Tenney declared victory in the race.
Why it matters
The 24th Congressional District stretches around Lake Ontario from Watertown to Lockport and includes Oswego and much of the Finger Lakes region, making the outcome significant for voters across New York's North Country and Central New York. The result keeps the seat in Republican hands in a district where registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats.
The preliminary count showed Tenney ahead 59% to 40% with 500 of 597 election districts reporting, based on state Board of Elections data. The remaining 97 districts had not been tallied, so the final margin remained unconfirmed.
The players
Claudia Tenney
Tenney is the Republican incumbent who has represented New York's 24th Congressional District after first winning a House seat in 2016.
Alissa Ellman
Ellman is a Democrat and U.S. Army veteran who lost the race after previously working at the Buffalo Veterans Affairs hospital.
The details
Tenney led Ellman at the start of the count, and Ellman had also led Tenney at the start of the count before the lead shifted. Ellman, a U.S. Army veteran, lost her job at the Buffalo Veterans Affairs hospital as part of Department of Government Efficiency cuts and said those cuts inspired her to run for office.
Timeline
2016: Tenney was first elected to the House of Representatives.
2018: Tenney lost her seat.
2020: Tenney won the seat back by 109 votes.
2022: Tenney won the redistricted 24th District.
November 4, 2026: Tenney declared victory over Ellman in the 24th District.
Political Context
Tenney's path in this district has included a 2018 loss and a 109-vote recovery in 2020, so the 2026 margin marks a departure from those narrow contests. Ellman's campaign centered on Department of Government Efficiency cuts, a policy pushback that stands in contrast to the Republican majority's approach.
For New Yorkers in the 24th District, the result determines which party's representative will vote on federal policy from this seat in the next term. Voters should note that the figures reported so far are preliminary and may shift as the remaining districts are counted.
The takeaway
The 24th District has tightened and swung repeatedly over the past decade, so the preliminary margin is worth confirming against final certified totals before drawing conclusions about voter trends.
Further reading
For more on the state's races, see Elections coverage across New York.
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