Democrat Micah Lasher Wins NY-12 Congressional Election, AP Says

This article was last updated at 10:21 p.m. Nov. 3.

NEW YORK CITY — Democratic nominee Micah Lasher won the congressional race in District 12 on Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press.

With more than 87 percent of ballots scanned, Lasher won the night with 186,540 votes to Republican nominee Caroline Shinkle's 47,848 votes.

Lasher, an assemblymember representing the Upper West Side, was one of four candidates vying for Jerry Nadler's seat, which was left wide open after he announced his retirement, leaving his seat vacant for the first time in more than 30 years.

Lasher earned Nadler's endorsement and beat out 12 other candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.

On Tuesday night, Lasher faced off against Shinkle, as well as two independent candidates: Wilneida Negron and Karen Ortiz, to represent District 12.

Congressional District 12 includes the Upper West Side, Central Park, the Upper East Side, Roosevelt Island, Midtown, Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, Flatiron, and Union Square.

Congressional District 12 has more than 364,776 registered Democrats and more than 53,049 registered Republicans, according to New York state data from February. But, more than 119,138 voters in the district aren't registered with either party.

As of 6 p.m. on Tuesday, 415,165 people cast their ballots in Manhattan.

As part of Lasher's platform, he's proposed a federal affordability agenda.

"It starts with housing, the single biggest driver of our affordability crisis. In Congress, I will fight to massively expand our housing supply, repeal the Faircloth Amendment so we can build new public housing, fully fund Section 8 vouchers, and invest federal capital in Section 9 to give NYCHA the resources to make long-overdue repairs and give residents the safe, dignified homes they deserve," Lasher told Patch.

He's also told Patch he'd fight to stop the "flow of illegal guns" into New York City, and reform federal Medicaid restrictions that limit funding for acute psychiatric care.

When it comes to President Donald Trump, Lasher will take a "fierce, principled, and strategic opposition" to the conservative president, and is calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"I bring deep experience at every level of government and a proven track record of getting big things done," Lasher said.

Though the AP has called the race for Lasher, all results are unofficial until the Board of Elections certifies them.

Once the New York City Board of Elections tallies and certifies all votes, it will announce the official final totals.

12th Congressional District

85.98% of scanners reported

• Micah Lasher (184,859 votes, or 77.40% of the vote)
• Caroline Shinkle (47,408 votes, or 19.85% of the vote)
• Wilneida Negron (2,717 votes, or 1.14% of the vote)
• Karen Ortiz (3,237 votes, or 1.36% of the vote)

That's what we know so far, New York. Keep refreshing this page for updates.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.