Katko fends off Democratic opponent in New York race

Rep. John Katko (R) is projected to have defeated Democrat Dana Balter in a closely watched race in upstate New York.

The Associated Press called the race at 5:07 p.m. EST, weeks after Election Day. 

The race was a rematch of 2018, when Katko beat out Balter by only 5 points for a fourth term. His seat this year was one of a few races The Cook Political Report rated as a pure tossup.

The district is evenly split among Republicans and Democrats, and in 2016, Katko was among only 25 House Republicans to win a district carried by Hillary Clinton. 

For the first time this year, Katko endorsed President Trump, though he has been critical of some of Trump’s comments. He did not vote for Trump in 2016 and instead wrote in Nikki Haley. 

Katko has said he almost reconsidered his endorsement but decided Trump’s economic, trade and tax policies were good for central New York.