On an otherwise bleak Election Day for the national party, local Democrats saw several electoral victories in Broome County.

State Sen. Lea Webb ‘04, who defeated former Binghamton Mayor Rich David by just over two percentage points in 2022, won reelection against Republican Mike Sigler with 57 percent of the vote. Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo MA ‘84 beat back a challenge from Lisa OKeefe with nearly 59 percent of the vote. And in the headlining race, the Associated Press declared Democrat Josh Riley the winner of a heavily contested race against Rep. Marc Molinaro for New York’s 19th Congressional District early Wednesday evening.

As of Thursday morning, control of the House of Representatives remains undecided, with several key races awaiting results.

The Broome County Republican and Democratic parties both held watch parties in Downtown Binghamton as election results trickled in on Tuesday night. Karen Beebe, the chair of the Broome County Democrats, celebrated the local victories while voicing her disappointment over former President Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential contest.

“While we feel deep despair and fear, we must also prepare to care for those who are first and most impacted,” Beebe said in a statement. “We must push back against the hatred that is emboldened by his leadership. We must plan for a better future to ensure we get this country back in four years and democracy continues.”

In the city of Binghamton, Rebecca Rathmell, a Democrat, defeated Republican Phil Strawn in a special election to represent the City Council’s 6th District — one year after the two tied in the last election. And though he ran unopposed, County Executive Jason Garnar won his third consecutive term in office.

Statewide, Proposal One, a ballot measure enshrining protections against discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex — including pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression — was passed.

“I think it’s absolutely great news that women have the right to choose their own health care decisions without the government interfering with it, and that that’s codified in New York state law,” Garnar said. “Women should have those rights across the country, and I’m glad that, at the very least, they have them right here in New York state.”

A Binghamton referendum, Proposal Two, which would change appointment authority to the Binghamton Human Rights Commission, was also passed. Since 2016, the Commission has sat empty, after a 2016 change to reserve all appointment authority to the mayor. Now passed, the referendum will allow the City Council to make four appointments and the mayor, three.

Rathmell emphasized the proposal’s importance of the proposal, saying it would enable the city of Binghamton to prioritize the rights of its residents. This commission will provide an avenue for recourse in cases of civil rights violations by connecting victims with relevant local resources.

Webb gave the final speech of the night at the Democratic watch party, thanking the members of her team and acknowledging their contributions to her victory. She shared a message of unity and a hope that the country will continue forward in a spirit of progress.

Sigler, a Tompkins County legislator conceded the race at the Broome County Republicans watch party.

“I do congratulate Lea Webb for running, obviously, a successful campaign,” Sigler said in his concession speech. “I’m not going to agree with her on a lot of the issues. I didn’t during the campaign, there’s no reason I should now. She’s still my representative, so I’ll be complaining to her early and often, and I hope you do too because, listen, I don’t want to live in a state where we just manage the decline of New York state. And I really feel that’s where we are. We are just managing the decline.”

OKeefe made a brief appearance at the Republican watch party, while Molinaro made an appearance late into the night. He did not concede the race, and his campaign released a statement on Wednesday that it would wait until outstanding ballots were counted.

At one point, Benji Federman, the Broome County Republicans chair, introduced elected county legislators. Republicans command a 10-5 majority in the chamber.

Webb emphasized the role that students and young people — many of whom voted in their first election — played in delivering Tuesday’s outcomes.

“It’s really important to me that people see not only how powerful their vote is in getting the person that they’re supporting in office, but also working in tandem together to address not only issues, but also identifying incredible solutions,” Webb said. “So it’s really important to me. I’m truly humbled and honored, and look forward to seeing everybody on campus.”