Rep. Jerrold Nadler defeats Rep. Carolyn Maloney in blockbuster NY-12 primary

Rep. Jerrold Nadler trounced Rep. Carolyn Maloney in their blockbuster Manhattan primary Tuesday, holding on to the district he has represented for three decades and ousting a fellow Democratic congressional titan after an unusually contentious campaign.

With nearly all ballots tallied, Nadler held about 56% of the vote total compared to the 24% clinched by Maloney, according to state Board of Elections returns from the 12th Congressional District primary. Insurgent candidate Suraj Patel trailed them with about 19%.

The Associated Press called the race for Nadler less than 40 minutes after polls closed at 9 p.m. Shortly thereafter, Nadler addressed dozens of cheering supporters at a restaurant on his native Upper West Side.

He told the crowd he was often asked on the campaign trail why he opted to run against Maloney instead of moving to “another part of the city,” an apparent reference to the 10th District he used to represent before this year’s chaotic congressional redistricting process.

“Because this place is my home,” he said. “I have lived here my entire adult life.”

Nadler, the powerful head of the House Judiciary Committee, has represented different versions of an Upper West Side-based district for three decades, rarely facing more than token primary opposition since his first 1992 election.

But the usual cakewalk turned into a cage fight when a court-appointed special master redrew New York’s congressional district lines earlier this year in such a way that a large chunk of Nadler’s constituency was baked into Maloney’s district. As a result, Nadler vacated his seat — prompting a hotly-contested primary for the 10th — and launched a 12th District campaign against Maloney, a fellow congressional veteran who was also first elected in 1992.

[ Live Results: New York Primary Election, August 2022 ]

The two cordial allies quickly turned to lobbing political attacks at one another as a potentially career-ending loss loomed for one or the other.

With little political substance dividing them, Nadler touted his modest upbringing and his long history of fighting for liberal causes. He called out Maloney, whose late husband was a wealthy investment banker, for loaning millions of her own dollars to her do-or-die campaign.

[ Nadler eggs on Maloney over big-bucks campaign loan as primary heats up ]

Maloney, who chairs the similarly powerful House Oversight Committee, argued that a woman would be better placed to argue the case for abortion rights and gun control.

She also portrayed herself as a more-effective fighter for local causes like the battle to win benefits for 9/11 first responders. Toward the tail end of the campaign, Maloney took on a more aggressive tone, questioning Nadler’s mental state and even claiming he was going “senile.”

At his election night party, Nadler took an apparent dig at Maloney’s harsh rhetoric, telling supporters, “I’m proud we were able to win while remaining committed to our principles of kindness and progressivism.”

He also said Maloney and Patel had given him a call earlier in the evening and that they “gracefully conceded” to him.

“Carolyn and I spent much of our adult lives working together to better both New York and our nation,” he said. “I speak for everyone in the streets tonight: Thank you for your decades of service to our city.”

[ Maloney says sorry for ‘Biden won’t run’ gaffe  ]

Downtown in Chelsea, Maloney told supporters at her election night party that she wishes Nadler “every success.”

But she also said she’s “really sad that we no longer have a woman representing Manhattan in Congress.”

“We cannot and we must not give up,” she added. “The fight continues.”

One defining moment of the 12th District campaign came during a televised debate when the candidates were asked whether President Biden should run for reelection in 2024.

Maloney stumbled by saying she didn’t think Biden will run again, a response that fell flat with Democrats who are rallying behind the president as the party fights to hold Congress.

Nadler later gained momentum when U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York’s most powerful Democrat in Congress, endorsed him.

Polls earlier in the race showed a tight race between Nadler and Maloney. But in the last couple of weeks, surveys showed Nadler opening up a sizable lead.