Elections in New York City

New York City (5 boroughs) presidential election results[1][2]
Year Democratic Republican
2020 76.19% 2,321,759 22.70% 691,682
2016 79.95% 2,191,869 17.04% 467,254
2012 81.19% 1,995,241 17.78% 436,889
2008 79.29% 2,074,159 20.06% 524,787
2004 74.99% 1,828,015 24.10% 587,534
2000 77.90% 1,703,364 18.23% 398,726
1996 77.10% 1,512,248 17.31% 339,537
1992 68.72% 1,458,784 24.00% 509,423
1988 66.17% 1,340,795 32.84% 665,407
1984 60.96% 1,343,875 38.66% 852,317
1980 54.88% 1,052,178 37.51% 719,278
1976 66.37% 1,423,380 32.95% 706,663
1972 51.46% 1,342,996 48.27% 1,259,873
1968 60.56% 1,582,681 33.94% 886,959
1964 73.02% 2,183,646 26.81% 801,877
1960 62.62% 1,936,323 37.04% 1,145,205
1956 51.10% 1,617,701 48.90% 1,548,132
1952 54.54% 1,861,930 43.79% 1,495,493
1948 49.47% 1,596,545 34.34% 1,108,288
1944 61.64% 2,042,500 38.36% 1,271,287
1940 61.18% 1,966,083 38.82% 1,247,624
1936 75.40% 2,041,347 24.60% 665,951
1932 67.31% 1,455,176 27.02% 584,056
1928 62.06% 1,167,971 37.94% 714,144
1924 35.02% 489,199 44.83% 626,131
1920 27.34% 345,001 62.29% 785,947
1916 52.95% 353,235 47.05% 313,813
1912 49.76% 312,386 20.16% 126,582
1908 48.52% 284,190 51.48% 301,568
1904 53.05% 326,900 46.95% 289,345
1900 52.47% 309,524 47.53% 280,343

Since its creation in 1898, New York City has been a stronghold of the Democratic Party. The city as a whole has only been carried by a Republican in three presidential elections that being William Howard Taft in 1908, Warren G. Harding in 1920, and President Calvin Coolidge in 1924. The boroughs of Manhattan and Bronx were only carried by a Republican in 1920 and 1924. Brooklyn was carried by a Republican just six times (1896 through 1908, 1920, and 1924), while Queens has been carried by a Republican on the presidential level once since 1960 (in 1972). Meanwhile, Staten Island remains strongly Republican having been carried by a Democrat four times since 1940 (in 1964, 1996, 2000, and 2012).

As of 2024, New York City is split between 14 of the state's 26 congressional districts, covering the 3rd through 16th congressional districts. All but one are held by Democrats, the only exception is the Staten Island-based 11th district. Due almost entirely to the Democrats' near-total dominance at the local level, the Democrats have held a majority of the state's congressional seats since 1965.

Historically, the most conservative district in the city is that based in Staten Island and southern Brooklyn; until 2013 called New York's 13th congressional district. The district has been a reliably red bastion in a deep blue city, sending a Republican to Congress in every election since 1980 except 2008 and 2018. With former city councilman Michael McMahon's 2008 election victory in the district, Democrats took all of the city's congressional seats for the first time in 76 years. The status would be short-lived as Republican Michael Grimm defeated McMahon 2 years later to retake the seat in the 2010 midterms. Renamed in 2013 as New York's 11th congressional district, the seat would flip once more when Democrat Max Rose unseated Republican incumbent Dan Donovan in the 2018 midterm election. However, Democratic gain in the district proved ephemeral yet again. In the 2020 election, Republican Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis has reclaimed the GOP's sole House seat in New York City, again defeating a freshman Democratic incumbent, by a margin of 53% to 47%.[3][4]

Following the 2020 census, New York's 3rd district, which is primarily located in Nassau County, was redrawn to include portions of northeast Queens. In the subsequent 2022 election, George Santos defeated Robert Zimmerman to become the district's representative, joining Malliotakis as the only other Republican to represent any of the five boroughs in Congress.[5] However, Santos was expelled and replaced by Democrat Tom Suozzi in February 2024.

In the image above, the 2020 presidential results are displayed in New York City for each electoral precinct. The blue represents precincts won by Democrat Joe Biden, while precincts won by Republican Donald Trump are colored in red.
  1. ^ "New York Election Results". David Leip. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  2. ^ "Statement and Return Report for Certification General Election 2020" (PDF). Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "BOARD OF ELECTIONS IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK 2020 ELECTION NIGHT RESULTS Representative in Congress, 11th Congressional District". Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "New York State Board of Elections, 2020 General Election Night Results". Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "George Santos wins New York's 3rd Congressional District versus Robert Zimmerman". FOX 5 NY. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2023-06-15.