GOP Chair Declares Victory In Garbarino Race Against Halpin, While Dems Say The Votes Are Not Yet Counted

LONG ISLAND, NY — As Republican U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino led the race for the 2nd Congressional District Wednesday against former Suffolk County Executive Patrick Halpin, the Suffolk County Democratic Committee maintained the race has not been called.

As of around 5 p.m., Garbarino was leading with 49 percent to Garbarino's 47 percent, with 521 of 527 of districts counting, according to the state's Board of Elections.

Patch has reached out to both camps for comment.

In a post to Facebook Wednesday afternoon, the Suffolk County Democratic Committee released a statement from party Chairman Rich Schaffer saying that the votes are still being counted and the race has not been called.

“One of my first jobs in politics was working for Pat Halpin, and a lot of what I know about public service I learned watching him," Schaffer said. "When he saw the direction our country was going, he knew he had to step up."

"In 2024, Republicans won this seat by 20 points," he said. "This morning it’s too close to call. That says everything about the campaign Pat ran. Every ballot deserves to be counted, and we’re optimistic he will come out on top.”

GOP Chairman Jesse Garcia told Patch that according to his numbers, Garbarino won his race.

"I don't care what the Democrats do; the math is the numbers," he said. "You know, the Democrats are the same ones who tried to overturn the 2000 election. They tried to stop elections in the state of New York by changing the way people vote by changing our local elections to even years. You know that the Democrats have no credibility when it comes to fair and efficient elections."

Garbarino, of Bayport, was first elected in 2020, and was reelected in 2024 with 56.26 percent of the vote. He was reelected in 2022 with 60 percent of the vote, according to Ballotpedia.

Halpin, of Oak Beach, is the current chair of the Babylon Town Planning Committee, and has held varied positions in government over the years.

The 2nd Congressional District stretches from southwestern Nassau to include an eastern portion of Brookhaven Town.

This story will be updated. Check back later.