“This district does not belong to me, or to my opponents for that matter,” Nadler said in a speech Tuesday evening.
“It belongs only to the voters of this district. The New Yorkers who get up every day and busy themselves with building a better, fairer city. Those New Yorkers get to choose who represents the people and values of this city,” he continued. “You know what? I think the voters made themselves clear tonight.”
Attorney Suraj Patel appears to be on track to finish third, his argument that the new district was hungering for new blood having lost out to the loyalties assiduously cultivated by Nadler and Maloney over their decades in office.
Nadler was already viewed as the favorite in the race as primary day neared, but he then got perhaps a clinching boost when he was endorsed by The New York Times’ influential editorial board.
Another key piece of validation came from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren — who cut an ad for Nadler highlighting his support from Planned Parenthood and NARAL — declaring New Yorkers “lucky to have Jerry in Congress.”
From there Maloney, sensing the contest slipping away, ramped up her offensives on her soon-to-be-former colleague. She tried to tap into Democratic primary voters’ anger over the Supreme Court ruling striking down Roe v. Wade and vowed, if reelected, to make the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment her main focus.
Maloney also accused Nadler of taking undue credit for his part in major local projects, like the construction of the Second Avenue subway, and — at the bitter end — suggesting on camera that he might be “senile.” But Nadler, who was also backed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, only seemed to grow stronger as the campaign entered its final days.
Maloney acknowledged her defeat to Nadler in a speech Tuesday evening, calling him “a distinguished member of Congress,” and saying, “I share his progressive values, and I wish him every success.”
“I’m really saddened that we no longer have a woman representing Manhattan in Congress,” Maloney said at the close of her remarks. “We cannot and we must not give up. The fight continues.”
Nadler praised both of his opponents Tuesday evening, calling Patel “an exceptionally bright and committed young leader,” adding that “our city needs voices like his, pushing its leaders to meet the needs of tomorrow.”
Of Maloney, Nadler said they had “spent much of our adult lives working together to better both New York and our nation. I speak for everyone in this room tonight when I thank her for her decades of service to our city.”
This story has been updated with additional information Tuesday.
CNN’s Steve Contorno and Dan Merica contributed to this report.
