Who Will Win New York’s 20th Congressional District in 2026

Florida's primaries produced a mixed picture for both parties ahead of November's general election. Rep. Byron Donalds won the Republican gubernatorial nomination with Trump's endorsement and a large financial edge, beating Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former House Speaker Paul Renner and newcomer James Fishback despite Gov. Ron DeSantis's public misgivings; Donalds would become Florida's first Black governor if elected. Former Republican congressman David Jolly, running with Gwen Graham as his lieutenant governor pick, won the Democratic nomination over state Rep. Dotie Joseph and others, pitching himself as a centrist who wants to end the culture wars. The two will meet in November to succeed the term-limited DeSantis, in a state where Democrats haven't won the governorship in over 30 years.

Progressive state Rep. Angie Nixon defeated establishment-backed Alex Vindman for the Senate Democratic nomination despite being outspent; she faces Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who won her primary with Trump's backing, in the special election for Marco Rubio's former seat. Incumbents Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jared Moskowitz turned back challengers, including Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, in redrawn districts under Florida's new Republican-favored congressional map. Trump-endorsed Cory Mills lost his House primary amid domestic violence allegations, while far-right figures Dan Bilzerian and Madison Cawthorn were also defeated, alongside Rep. Randy Fine's contentious win.

President Donald Trump made his first visit to Syracuse as a sitting president, headlining a rally for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman ahead of New York's November elections. About 2,500 supporters packed the Oncenter while a roughly equal number of protesters gathered at Clinton Square before marching toward the venue; no arrests or violence were reported. Trump repeated familiar campaign themes, criticizing immigration policy, downplaying climate change, and claiming credit for the Micron Technology project despite the deal predating his second term. He urged supporters to vote as though he were on the ballot.

Notably, many local Republicans skipped the event, including Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick, reflecting lingering friction after the GOP's historic losses in Central New York last year. Trump's approval rating in New York sits at 34%, and Blakeman trails Gov. Kathy Hochul in every poll. The visit underscored the high stakes of the governor's race and down-ballot congressional contests, as both parties battle for control of Upstate districts and Congress.

New York's comptroller race pits four-term Democratic incumbent Thomas DiNapoli against Republican challenger Joseph Hernandez. The office oversees the state's roughly $300 billion pension fund, audits state agencies, and serves as chief fiscal officer. DiNapoli, who has held the post since 2007 and recently survived his first primary challenge, campaigns on steady, low-drama management and returning lost funds to residents. Hernandez, a biotech and finance entrepreneur who previously ran for New York City mayor, is pushing for more aggressive oversight, in-house management of some pension investments, a fraud-focused task force, and a proposed $10 billion fund to invest in New York companies and housing.

New York Democrats have filed a complaint with the State Board of Elections alleging that President Trump's August 14 visit to a Nassau County police training facility improperly used public resources to boost Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman's campaign. State Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs argues that Blakeman, as Nassau County Executive, deployed county funds, facilities and law enforcement personnel to stage what amounted to a partisan rally at the county-owned David Mack Center for Training and Intelligence.

At the event, billed by the White House as a crime-statistics announcement, Trump, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, and GOP congressional candidates praised Blakeman and criticized Democratic rivals, with Trump predicting Blakeman would win. Jacobs wants the state board to assess whether the resources used constitute an improper in-kind campaign contribution and to consider penalties. Blakeman's campaign dismissed the complaint and blamed Gov. Kathy Hochul. A separate Hatch Act complaint against Blanche, filed by watchdog group Public Citizen, was rejected as baseless by the Justice Department.

New York Assemblymember Alex Bores, who led the state's push to regulate artificial intelligence before losing a bid for Congress, says he wants another shot at Big Tech regulation before leaving office and would back a special legislative session in Albany. Bores argues New York should stop deferring to California on AI standards, pointing to his state's tech talent and his own $30 million group aimed at shaping a Democratic AI agenda. Governor Kathy Hochul's office says no special session is currently planned, even as California Governor Gavin Newsom has floated recalling lawmakers to Sacramento and signed an executive order to speed up enforcement of AI safety laws, including a possible "kill switch" requirement for advanced models.

The state-level activity comes as public alarm over AI risks grows, fueled partly by warnings from within the industry itself and a widespread expectation that Congress will not act soon. New York regulators recently ordered utilities to report AI usage, and Attorney General Letitia James has urged AI company employees to report rule violations. Democratic state lawmakers returning to Albany in January are weighing options and bracing for tech-industry pushback.

The Troy City Council in Rensselaer County passed Local Law 3 on October 1, the first measure of its kind in New York to restrict automated license plate reader (ALPR) use by police. The law, proposed by Councilmember Noreen McKee, cuts data retention from 30 days to 72 hours, requires judicial authorization for data sharing, and limits camera searches to felony-related investigations. McKee cited a 60-day review showing nearly all crimes solved using the cameras were resolved within 72 hours.

The New York Civil Liberties Union called it the strongest local ALPR law in the state, noting Troy's camera data had been searched more than 12 million times by outside agencies without legal safeguards. Troy's Republican mayor, Carmella Mantello, says city data isn't shared with federal immigration authorities and has vowed to veto the law, despite a Democratic council majority. The move comes as state lawmakers weigh several bills to impose statewide ALPR oversight, including retention limits, bans on data sales, and new reporting and training requirements, after years of failed attempts dating back to 2015.

A new Newsday/Siena University poll finds Long Islanders narrowly opposed to New York's Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which bars local law enforcement from entering cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The poll found 51% opposed and 45% in support, with responses split sharply along party lines: 75% of Democrats back the law while 74% of Republicans oppose it. Independents lean against it, 57% to 38%.

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the law earlier this year, prompting Nassau County to end its ICE agreements in August and 15 upstate sheriffs to sue over the measure. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican challenging Hochul in November, has criticized the law and says the county still plans to join the sheriffs' lawsuit. Siena pollster Don Levy said the Long Island numbers, weaker in support than statewide polling, could give Blakeman an opening on the issue. The law restricts civil immigration enforcement cooperation but does not bar police from working with ICE on criminal matters.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Rensselaer County and Sheriff Kyle Bourgault after they became the sole holdouts defying the state's Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which bans local law enforcement agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The suit, filed in state Supreme Court, seeks a court order voiding Rensselaer's 287(g) agreement. It came a day after Bourgault and 14 other New York sheriffs filed a federal lawsuit arguing the state law is an unconstitutional overreach; a federal judge has set a September 9 deadline for the state to respond to their request for a restraining order. Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin vowed to fight the suit in court.

Nassau County, along with Broome and Cattaraugus, previously terminated its ICE partnership after subpoenas from James's office, with Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman calling the law "bad and dangerous" but agreeing to comply. Governor Kathy Hochul has defended the law while saying the state still cooperates with ICE on deporting convicted criminals.

New data released by the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) shows more than 200 public school buildings on Long Island had at least one water fixture exceeding New York's lead standard of 5 parts per billion. The interactive report breaks down results by county, district and school, covering testing conducted and reported to the state from 2023 to 2026. In Nassau County, 501 outlets (about 4.5% tested) exceeded the limit, with Northside Elementary in Farmingdale and schools in Valley Stream District 24 among the worst affected. Suffolk County had 519 outlets (about 4.6%) above the threshold, led by schools in Kings Park, Hauppauge, Three Village and Middle Country districts.

The findings follow a broader statewide study and an earlier Newsday review that found nearly 3,000 noncompliant fixtures across 123 Long Island districts. Affected districts say they have since installed filtered water stations or taken fixtures out of service, and that current drinking water tests clean. State law requires schools to test for lead every three years and remove noncompliant fixtures.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) won her party's primary in Florida's newly drawn 20th Congressional District, a plurality-Black seat centered on Broward County, after her old 25th District seat was eliminated in Republican-led mid-decade redistricting ordered by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Rather than run in a new, whiter district that favored Trump, she chose to compete in the 20th, drawing criticism from local Black leaders, the Broward Black Democratic Caucus, and Congressional Black Caucus members who saw her candidacy as a threat to Black political representation already weakened by the Supreme Court's rollback of the Voting Rights Act; Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined to endorse her.

Wasserman Schultz defeated a divided field of four Black challengers — former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, rapper Luther "Luke" Campbell, Elijah Manley, and Dale Holness — leaning on seniority, fundraising, and an Appropriations Committee seat while her rivals split the opposing vote. Her win makes her the only white House member representing a plurality or majority-Black district heading into 2027, following the elimination of Rep. Steve Cohen's Memphis district by Tennessee Republicans. The broader Florida redistricting effort cut four Democratic-leaning seats ahead of the midterms.