For Democrats, the road to a majority in the House of Representatives ran through Republican-held districts in the suburbs and exurbs of increasingly blue New York. Read more

In three such districts, scattered from Staten Island to Lake Ontario, competitive races by Democratic newcomers proved pivotal in deciding control of the House.

As expected, there was little suspense in the governor’s race. The Democratic incumbent, Andrew M. Cuomo, won a third term, defeating the Republican candidate, the Dutchess county executive Marcus Molinaro who gave Mr. Cuomo scant competition. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was also easily re-elected, securing over 76 percent of the vote against her long-shot challenger, the Republican candidate, Chele Chiavacci Farley.