New York 26th Congressional District (NY) — Elections 1876–2024

New York 26th Congressional District, New York: Tossup district. In 2024, voted a near-tie. Democratic peak: D+44 in 1964.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: TiedMIT Election Lab
Political archetype: TossupAkashic typology
Population: 278,8382024 5-year
Median household income: $71,5982024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 77.1%2024 5-year
Black: 10.2%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 5.5%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+44 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+41 in 1924MIT Election Lab

KENNEDY, Timothy M.Congress 119 · Democratic

−1 liberal

+1 conservative

Predecessors: HIGGINS, Brian (2023–2025), HIGGINS, Brian (2021–2023), HIGGINS, Brian (2019–2021), HIGGINS, Brian (2017–2019)

Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).

2024 results by constituent county

2 counties · 1 D · 1 R

R+60

D+60

One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	D	+0.1%	66,952	66,870	135,402
2020	D	+5.3%	71,627	64,235	138,445
2016	R	−2.9%	56,949	60,469	123,490
2012	D	+10.5%	65,202	52,653	120,058
2008	D	+11.2%	70,307	55,888	128,260
2004	D	+9.4%	69,524	57,287	129,497
2000	D	+14.4%	67,653	49,773	124,119
1996	D	+19.3%	63,012	39,896	119,567
1992	D	+11.2%	53,539	38,843	130,642
1988	D	+7.9%	65,363	55,730	121,943
1984	R	−1.9%	63,911	66,341	130,563
1980	D	+7.6%	59,400	50,274	119,845
1976	D	+0.3%	63,608	63,221	127,634
1972	R	−11.2%	59,183	74,165	133,775
1968	D	+13.0%	66,467	50,049	126,507
1964	D	+44.1%	96,460	37,327	133,945
1960	D	+9.0%	76,307	63,717	140,140
1956	R	−30.1%	45,460	84,593	130,053
1952	R	−15.4%	54,003	73,743	127,993
1948	D	+3.0%	53,004	49,850	105,915
1944	D	+0.3%	53,071	52,701	106,119
1940	R	−0.7%	51,128	51,832	103,223
1936	D	+5.5%	47,960	42,823	92,980
1932	R	−8.9%	34,190	41,163	77,957
1928	R	−15.0%	31,380	43,039	77,528
1924	R	−40.8%	11,426	33,401	53,920
1920	R	−40.0%	11,068	28,791	44,264
1916	R	−11.6%	12,488	15,898	29,292
1912	D	+14.4%	9,943	6,345	24,935
1908	R	−9.1%	12,515	15,090	28,344
1904	R	−15.7%	10,444	14,503	25,836
1900	R	−7.0%	11,119	12,839	24,595
1896	R	−17.8%	8,724	12,619	21,935
1892	D	+0.6%	9,339	9,227	19,744
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Congressional elections · 17 Senate races

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year	Won	D %	R %	Total
2024	D	56.2%	38.7%	8,381,397
2022	D	51.7%	37.7%	5,848,556
2018	D	62.0%	28.6%	6,055,151
2016	D	61.3%	22.1%	7,800,725
2012	D	62.1%	21.3%	7,116,628
2010	D	64.0%	26.0%	4,763,899
2006	D	57.4%	25.8%	4,700,632
2004	D	58.9%	21.8%	7,447,818
2000	D	51.2%	39.1%	6,959,662
1998	D	47.8%	33.7%	4,989,877
1994	D	47.5%	32.1%	5,328,486
1992	D	41.6%	37.5%	7,078,805
1988	D	64.7%	27.9%	6,040,980
1986	R	38.4%	45.3%	4,484,859
1982	D	62.2%	28.5%	4,967,729
1980	D	43.5%	37.8%	6,014,914
1976	D	48.6%	37.9%	6,666,875

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

German

21.4%

Irish

15.4%

Italian

15.2%

Polish

12.8%

English

8.8%

American

3.2%

French

1.9%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 41.5 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.8%

85+

1.6%

2.4%

75–84

3.2%

5.6%

65–74

6.2%

7.0%

55–64

7.4%

5.8%

45–54

5.9%

6.1%

35–44

6.2%

6.6%

25–34

6.6%

4.3%

18–24

4.2%

7.6%

5–17

7.3%

2.6%

2.5%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Median household income

2024 inflation-adjusted dollars

$71,598

Congressional District 26 ranks near the middle of US counties.

Congressional District 26$71,598

New York$85,974

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

13.7%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1818.8%

Working age (18–64)12.6%

Seniors (65+)11.2%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

90.8%

speak English only

Other Indo-European3.6%

Spanish2.9%

Asian & Pacific Islander1.4%

Other languages1.4%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Catholic & Orthodox

40.1%

Other Christian

5.6%

Mainline Protestant

4.7%

Non-Christian

3.4%

Baptist

2.5%

Methodist

2.1%

Pentecostal & Holiness

1.9%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 39.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Centered on Buffalo and its inner suburbs, NY-26 has posted Democratic presidential margins exceeding 20 points in recent cycles, reflecting a dense, majority-minority urban core where turnout patterns and demographic composition consistently drive lopsided results.

The district's recent history is a story of close margins. The Democratic margin reached forty-four points in 1964; the Republican margin reached forty-one points in 1924. Most other elections have been decided by single-digit points.

Its demographics — a population of 278,838, a 77% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $71,598 — situate the district close to national averages on several dimensions.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

Congressional District 26, New York. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/3626/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Congressional District 26, New York vote in 2024?

In 2024, Congressional District 26, New York voted a near-tie (Tied), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 135,402 votes cast, 66,952 went Democratic and 66,870 went Republican.

What is Congressional District 26, New York's political archetype?

Akashic classifies Congressional District 26, New York as a "Tossup" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 19 times, Republican 15 times, and other 0 times.

When did Congressional District 26, New York last vote Republican?

The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 26, New York voted Republican was 2016.

How many people live in Congressional District 26, New York?

Congressional District 26, New York has a population of 278,838 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Congressional District 26, New York?

Median household income in Congressional District 26, New York is $71,598 — below the national median of $80,734. The New York state median is $85,974.

What is the political history of Congressional District 26, New York?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 26, New York from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 19 went Democratic and 15 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Tossup" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.

New York 26th Congressional District delivered a near-tie in 2024.

Key facts

U.S. Senate

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions