NEW YORK — U.S. Rep. Max Rose has conceded his first race for reelection to Republican challenger Nicole Malliotakis, putting New York City's only congressional battleground district back under GOP control.
Malliotakis declared victory on election night last week, but Rose initially refused to back down, citing thousands of outstanding mail-in ballots cast in the race for the 11th Congressional District, which covers all of Staten Island and a sliver of Southern Brooklyn.
But as ballots continued to be tallied Thursday afternoon, Rose said his path to victory had been eliminated.
"I have called to congratulate Congresswoman-elect Malliotakis on her win and concede the race," Rose said Thursday in a statement. "Representing this district has been the honor of my life."
The district has long leaned Republican, and was the only one in New York City to go for President Donald Trump in the 2016 election.
Still, Rose shook up the district's conservative dominance in the 2018 midterms, ousting incumbent Republican Dan Donovan on a platform characterized by a willingness to reach across the aisle and break with Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill.
Malliotakis, currently a Republican member of the State Assembly, did not immediately react to Rose's concession.
While declaring victory last week, Malliotakis told supporters on Staten Island that her victory proved a repudiation of Democrats seeking to put the U.S. on "a destructive path towards socialism."
"Members of that party, with names like Pelosi, Schiff, Nadler, AOC and yes, Max Rose, were all too happy to needlessly attempt to impeach our president, Donald Trump, and do or say anything to defeat him and our Republican Party," Malliotakis said, name-dropping major figures in the Democratic Party.
Malliotakis' win reaffirms the congressional district's Republican identity. Trump strongly backed Malliotakis' campaign and some of the president's family members, including Donald Trump, Jr., hit the campaign trail on her behalf.
