Nearly 10 days after Republican Nicole Malliotakis declared victory over Democratic incumbent Max Rose in the contentious congressional race in Staten Island and southern Brooklyn’s 11th District, Rose has conceded.
Malliotakis won more than 56 percent of in-person votes (136,382) in the swing district on election, with 97.9 percent of scanners reporting. Rose claimed approximately 42 percent of the in-person vote (99,224), according to Board of Election figures.
While there are more than 40,000 absentee ballots still to be counted in the race, Rose would have had to have received close to 90 percent of those votes to trump Malliotakis.
“As we continue to count every ballot and are on track to dramatically narrow the gap by tens of thousands of votes to a 4-5 point margin, it is now clear that we will fall short of 50.1 percent,” Rose said in a statement on Nov. 12. “I have called to congratulate Congresswoman-elect Malliotakis on her win and concede the race. I promise every resident of the 11th Congressional District that we will ensure a smooth transition.”
The Republican challenger defeated the incumbent on both the Staten Island side, and in the Brooklyn sections of the district, which include Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, and Gravesend. On the Rock, she garnered 52 percent at 126,061 votes, compared to Rose getting just north of 40 percent with 97,328 votes, according to state Board of Election figures.
Malliotakis’ lead was narrower in southern Brooklyn, where she earned 47 percent, at 29,293 votes, while Rose got just under 44 percent, at 27,196 votes.
The sitting congressman, who called for healing as the country moves forward, said in a statement Thursday that he was proud of his accomplishments in his first and only term.
“I am immensely proud of everything we accomplished in the last two years including, but not limited to: permanently funding the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, making real and significant progress to combat the opioid epidemic, securing millions to improve our commutes, enacting split tolling to take thousands of cars off the expressways at no cost to commuters, and cutting through the red tape to finally begin construction of the East Shore Seawall,” Rose said, adding that representing the district has been “the honor of my life.”
On election night, five-term Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis said her victory would “resonate from New York’s City Hall to the halls of Congress,” and slammed the city and state’s Democratic leaders for underestimating and misunderstanding the district.
“They don’t understand the voters of the 11th congressional district; they are good and decent people who can’t be bought and won’t tolerate being lied to,” she said.
The heated race for the 11th congressional district was among the most-watched in the country, as freshman Rose, a Democrat, fought to hold onto his post in a district that voted overwhelmingly for President Donald Trump in 2016.
Rose, a Park Slope native, served in the armed forces for five years and earned a Purple Heart in the War in Afghanistan after his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device, injuring him. He served in New York’s National Guard before successfully running for congress in 2018, narrowly beating Republican incumbent Dan Donovan.
A Staten Island native, Malliotakis was first elected to the state assembly in 2010 to represent East New York and New Lots. Since 2012, she has served as assemblywoman in the 64th District covering northeast Staten Island and a sliver of Bay Ridge. Malliotakis ran against Mayor Bill de Blasio on the Republican ticket during his reelection campaign in 2017.
Malliotakis has not yet commented on Rose’s concession.
This story first appeared on our sister publication brooklynpaper.com.
