2016 United States presidential election in New York
The 2016 United States presidential election in New York was held on November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated. New York voters chose 29 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote. The Republican Party fielded businessman Donald Trump for President and Indiana Governor Mike Pence for Vice President of the United States, while the Democratic Party fielded former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for President and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine for Vice President.
New York State remained a blue state, with Hillary Clinton winning with 59.01% of the vote, while Donald Trump received 36.52% of the vote, a 22.49% Democratic victory margin. However, Donald Trump won the county vote, taking 40 counties state wide to Hillary Clinton's 17. Clinton received a smaller vote share than outgoing President Barack Obama had in 2012, while Donald Trump improved upon Mitt Romney's performance despite losing the state by a large margin.
New York was the home state of both major party nominees, though Clinton was born in Chicago. Trump was born and raised in New York City, and has been long associated with the state, while Clinton has been a resident of Chappaqua since 1999, and represented the state in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2009. As a consequence of two major presidential candidates sharing New York as a home state, Trump became the second consecutive major party presidential nominee to lose his home state by over 20 points in recent cycles.
The 2016 presidential election also marks the most recent cycle in which Trump would be on the presidential ballot as a legal resident of New York state; according to court filings, he registered Palm Beach, Florida as his "primary residence" in 2019. He thus became the first major presidential candidate since Richard Nixon to have New York as his state of residence during his first presidential nomination but register another home state for his succeeding bid.
Primary elections
On April 19, 2016, in the presidential primaries, New York voters expressed their preferences for the Democratic and Republican parties' respective nominees for president. Registered members of each party only voted in their party's primary, while voters who were unaffiliated with either party didn't vote in the primary.Democratic primary
Two candidates appeared on the Democratic presidential primary ballot:- Hillary Clinton
- Bernie Sanders
New York City results
Republican primary
Three candidates appeared on the Republican presidential primary ballot:- Ted Cruz
- John Kasich
- Donald Trump
Republican primary results by county
Results by Congressional District (CD)
New York City results
General election
Polling
Polls projected New York to remain safely in the Democratic column for former Senator Hillary Clinton, despite it also being the home state of Donald Trump for his entire life.Debate
The first Presidential Debate took place at Hofstra University. Snap polls indicated that Clinton won.Candidates
New York is a fusion state, which means that candidates are allowed to be on multiple lines.Those on the ballot were:
Democratic, Women's Equality and Working Families Parties
- Hillary Clinton / Tim Kaine
- Donald Trump / Mike Pence
Independence and Libertarian parties
Gary Johnson and Bill Weld were nominated by the Libertarian and Independence Parties using separate elector slates. Their votes have been added together in the below table for convenience.
With the introduction of computerized voting, write-in candidates were permitted.
The following is a certified list of persons who made valid presidential write in filings with the State Board of Elections
According to the New York Times, only 300 write-in votes were counted in 2012, while 63,239 were recorded as "Blank, Void or Scattering".
Results
Results by County
| County | Clinton% | Clinton# | Trump% | Trump# | Johnson% | Johnson# | Stein% | Stein# | Others% | Others# |
| Albany | 59.41% | 83,071 | 34.19% | 47,808 | 3.43% | 4,792 | 1.77% | 2,475 | 0.23% | 317 |
| Allegany | 26.12% | 4,882 | 67.01% | 12,525 | 3.93% | 735 | 1.47% | 275 | 0.05% | 9 |
| Bronx | 88.52% | 353,646 | 9.46% | 37,797 | 0.58% | 2,312 | 1.09% | 4,341 | 0.04% | 154 |
| Broome | 45.56% | 39,212 | 47.57% | 40,943 | 3.77% | 3,246 | 1.80% | 1,546 | 0.30% | 258 |
| Cattaraugus | 30.48% | 9,497 | 63.19% | 19,692 | 4.00% | 1,246 | 1.41% | 440 | 0.25% | 79 |
| Cayuga | 40.76% | 13,522 | 52.41% | 17,384 | 4.09% | 1,358 | 1.51% | 501 | 0.28% | 94 |
| Chautauqua | 35.20% | 19,091 | 58.25% | 31,594 | 4.06% | 2,203 | 1.40% | 757 | 0.19% | 104 |
| Chemung | 38.09% | 13,757 | 55.64% | 20,097 | 4.01% | 1,447 | 1.28% | 463 | 0.25% | 92 |
| Chenango | 33.61% | 6,775 | 59.13% | 11,921 | 4.54% | 916 | 1.78% | 358 | 0.09% | 19 |
| Clinton | 46.91% | 15,059 | 45.01% | 14,449 | 4.09% | 1,312 | 1.91% | 613 | 0.21% | 68 |
| Columbia | 49.46% | 15,284 | 44.51 | 13,756 | 3.05% | 944 | 1.94% | 598 | 0.25% | 76 |
| Cortland | 43.33% | 8,771 | 48.90% | 9,900 | 4.73% | 957 | 1.85% | 374 | 0.01% | 3 |
| Delaware | 33.48% | 6,627 | 60.34% | 11,942 | 3.28% | 650 | 1.90% | 377 | 0.27% | 53 |
| Dutchess | 47.54% | 62,285 | 47.19% | 61,821 | 2.75% | 3,602 | 1.52% | 1,988 | 0.23% | 303 |
| Erie | 50.86% | 215,456 | 44.45 | 188,303 | 3.00% | 12,720 | 1.50% | 6,367 | 0.18% | 779 |
| Essex | 45.08% | 7,762 | 46.22% | 7,958 | 4.23% | 728 | 2.44% | 420 | 0.28% | 48 |
| Franklin | 43.05% | 7,297 | 48.50% | 8,221 | 4.23% | 717 | 2.12% | 359 | 0.27% | 46 |
| Fulton | 30.62% | 6,496 | 63.46% | 13,462 | 3.67% | 779 | 1.47% | 311 | 0.09% | 20 |
| Genesee | 28.94% | 7,650 | 63.99% | 16,915 | 4.99% | 1,319 | 1.23% | 324 | 0.18% | 47 |
| Greene | 33.58% | 7,405 | 59.29% | 13,073 | 2.93% | 647 | 1.80% | 398 | 0.12% | 27 |
| Hamilton | 29.43% | 949 | 64.00% | 2,064 | 3.69% | 119 | 1.36% | 44 | 0% | 0 |
| Herkimer | 30.79% | 8,083 | 63.60% | 16,699 | 3.82% | 1,002 | 1.53% | 403 | 0.26% | 68 |
| Jefferson | 36.12% | 13,809 | 56.92% | 21,763 | 4.37% | 1,670 | 1.61% | 617 | 0.21% | 80 |
| Kings | 79.51% | 640,553 | 17.51% | 141,044 | 0.85% | 6,864 | 1.48% | 11,932 | 0.08% | 661 |
| Lewis | 27.78% | 3,146 | 65.34% | 7,400 | 4.38% | 496 | 1.17% | 132 | 0.09% | 10 |
| Livingston | 35.62% | 10,697 | 57.57% | 17,290 | 4.25% | 1,276 | 1.50% | 449 | 0.06% | 17 |
| Madison | 38.81% | 11,667 | 53.01% | 15,936 | 5.26% | 1,582 | 1.72% | 516 | 0.05% | 15 |
| Monroe | 54.23% | 188,592 | 39.27% | 136,582 | 3.80% | 13,205 | 1.52% | 5,289 | 0.05% | 186 |
| Montgomery | 34.61% | 6,595 | 59.31% | 11,301 | 3.62% | 690 | 1.41% | 268 | 0.28% | 53 |
| Nassau | 51.33% | 332,154 | 45.13% | 292,025 | 1.75% | 11,337 | 1.04% | 6,734 | 0.11% | 683 |
| New York | 86.56% | 579,013 | 9.71% | 64,930 | 1.41% | 9,408 | 1.41% | 9,441 | 0.16% | 1,051 |
| Niagara | 38.48% | 35,559 | 56.23% | 51,961 | 3.10% | 2,865 | 1.39% | 1,287 | 0.14% | 129 |
| Oneida | 37.08% | 33,743 | 56.52% | 51,437 | 4.12% | 3,754 | 1.36% | 1,235 | 0.21% | 187 |
| Onondaga | 53.89% | 112,337 | 40.13% | 83,649 | 4.09% | 8,524 | 1.53% | 3,185 | 0.06% | 121 |
| Ontario | 42.33% | 22,233 | 49.55% | 26,029 | 4.73% | 2,846 | 1.62% | 852 | 0.08% | 40 |
| Orange | 44.91% | 68,278 | 50.42% | 76,645 | 2.54% | 3,867 | 1.42% | 2,154 | 0.12% | 176 |
| Orleans | 27.29% | 4,470 | 66.76% | 10,936 | 4.15% | 680 | 1.12% | 184 | 0.18% | 30 |
| Oswego | 35.48% | 17,095 | 57.47% | 27,688 | 4.44% | 2,137 | 1.46% | 705 | 0.33% | 158 |
| Otsego | 40.72% | 10,451 | 51.85% | 13,308 | 4.15% | 1,066 | 2.03% | 520 | 0.27% | 70 |
| Putnam | 39.88% | 19,366 | 55.65% | 27,024 | 2.41% | 1,171 | 1.21% | 590 | 0.12% | 57 |
| Queens | 75.35% | 517,220 | 21.76% | 149,341 | 1.04% | 7,116 | 1.34% | 9,230 | 0.08% | 576 |
| Rensselaer | 45.72% | 32,717 | 47.13% | 33,726 | 4.11% | 2,944 | 1.89% | 1,355 | 0.21% | 150 |
| Richmond | 40.97% | 74,143 | 56.05% | 101,437 | 1.34% | 2,432 | 1.04% | 1,886 | 0.10% | 176 |
| Rockland | 51.33% | 69,342 | 45.09% | 60,911 | 1.69% | 2,284 | 1.00% | 1,348 | 0.14% | 193 |
| St. Lawrence | 42.11% | 16,488 | 50.93% | 19,942 | 3.69% | 1,445 | 2.06% | 807 | 0.20% | 79 |
| Saratoga | 44.62% | 50,913 | 47.83% | 54,575 | 4.48% | 5,116 | 1.60% | 1,825 | 0.05% | 59 |
| Schenectady | 50.16% | 33,747 | 43.03% | 28,953 | 3.90% | 2,624 | 1.68% | 1,127 | 0.24% | 159 |
| Schoharie | 30.18% | 4,240 | 62.85% | 8,831 | 3.78% | 531 | 1.95% | 274 | 0.11% | 15 |
| Schuyler | 35.24% | 3,091 | 57.57% | 5,050 | 3.52% | 309 | 2.46% | 216 | 0.27% | 24 |
| Seneca | 40.75% | 5,697 | 51.76% | 7,236 | 4.56% | 638 | 1.85% | 259 | 0.04% | 6 |
| Steuben | 29.82% | 12,526 | 63.88% | 26,831 | 3.97% | 1,666 | 1.39% | 585 | 0.25% | 103 |
| Suffolk | 44.62% | 303,951 | 51.46% | 350,570 | 2.04% | 13,916 | 1.19% | 8,099 | 0.09% | 615 |
| Sullivan | 41.96% | 12,568 | 53.18% | 15,931 | 2.45% | 734 | 1.68% | 504 | 0.08% | 24 |
| Tioga | 33.75% | 7,526 | 59.46% | 13,260 | 4.17% | 930 | 1.51% | 337 | 0.24% | 54 |
| Tompkins | 67.69% | 28,890 | 24.30% | 10,371 | 3.26% | 1,393 | 3.23% | 1,380 | 0.04% | 19 |
| Ulster | 52.29% | 44,597 | 41.32% | 35,239 | 2.80% | 2,392 | 2.52% | 2,147 | 0.17% | 147 |
| Warren | 41.68% | 13,091 | 50.15% | 15,751 | 4.00% | 1,255 | 1.27% | 863 | 0.26% | 81 |
| Washington | 37.09% | 9,098 | 55.49% | 13,610 | 3.78% | 926 | 2.36% | 236 | 0.03% | 7 |
| Wayne | 33.95% | 13,473 | 58.91% | 23,380 | 4.82% | 1,911 | 1.43% | 567 | 0.07% | 29 |
| Westchester | 64.88% | 272,926 | 31.20% | 131,238 | 1.91% | 8,042 | 1.04% | 4,358 | 0.14% | 602 |
| Wyoming | 22.57% | 3,904 | 71.93% | 12,442 | 3.89% | 673 | 1.04% | 180 | 0.20% | 317 |
| Yates | 36.35% | 3,659 | 56.23% | 5,660 | 4.91% | 494 | 1.45% | 146 | 0.06% | 6 |
By congressional district
Clinton won 18 of 27 congressional districts.| District | Trump | Clinton | Representative |
| 54% | 42% | Lee Zeldin | |
| 53% | 44% | Peter T. King | |
| 45% | 51% | Steve Israel | |
| 45% | 51% | Thomas Suozzi | |
| 43% | 53% | Kathleen Rice | |
| 36% | 63% | Gregory W. Meeks | |
| 32% | 65% | Grace Meng | |
| 10% | 86% | Nydia Velázquez | |
| 13% | 84% | Hakeem Jeffries | |
| 14% | 83% | Yvette Clarke | |
| 19% | 78% | Jerrold Nadler | |
| 53% | 44% | Dan Donovan | |
| 13% | 82% | Carolyn Maloney | |
| 5% | 92% | Charles B. Rangel | |
| 5% | 92% | Adriano Espaillat | |
| 22% | 77% | Joseph Crowley | |
| 5% | 94% | Jose Serrano | |
| 22% | 75% | Eliot L. Engel | |
| 38% | 58% | Nita Lowey | |
| 49% | 47% | Sean Patrick Maloney | |
| 51% | 44% | John Faso | |
| 40% | 53% | Paul Tonko | |
| 53% | 39% | Elise Stefanik | |
| 54% | 39% | Richard L. Hanna | |
| 54% | 39% | Claudia Tenney | |
| 54% | 39% | Tom Reed | |
| 45% | 49% | John Katko | |
| 39% | 55% | Louise Slaughter | |
| 38% | 58% | Brian Higgins | |
| 59% | 35% | Chris Collins |
Analysis
Reflecting a strong nationwide trend of rural areas swinging hard against Clinton, Trump improved greatly upon recent Republican performances in rural Upstate New York. Upstate New York was historically a staunchly Republican region, although it had been trending Democratic since the 1990s, and Democrat Barack Obama had twice performed very strongly across both urban and rural upstate in the preceding two elections. Trump won 20 counties in New York State that voted for President Obama in 2012, 18 of which were rural upstate counties.Clinton did win Upstate New York's traditionally Democratic cities and hold onto urban counties upstate. However, Trump also made gains in urban parts of upstate, which had long been in economic decline, due to his strength in economically distressed areas and his appeal to working class whites who traditionally vote Democratic. Trump's message on trade policy and pledge to halt job outsourcing appealed strongly to the Rust Belt region of the United States, where many local economies had been ravaged by loss of industrial jobs, which extends into Upstate New York cities like Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. In Erie County, where Buffalo is located in Western New York bordering the Great Lakes, Clinton won only 51-44 compared with Obama's 57–41 victory in 2012. Clinton suffered her strongest swings against her in traditionally Democratic Northern New York along the Saint Lawrence River, becoming the first Democrat to lose Franklin County and St. Lawrence County since Michael Dukakis in 1988. Trump won St. Lawrence County 51-42, where Obama had won 57–41, and Franklin County 48-43, where Obama had won 62–36. Clinton barely held onto neighboring Clinton County 47-45, which Obama had also won 62–36.
The only upstate county where Clinton won by a stronger margin than Obama had in 2012 was the liberal Democratic stronghold of Tompkins County, home to the college town of Ithaca where Cornell University is located. Clinton and Obama both received 68% in the county, but Trump's unpopularity with young people and students led him to fall to only 24% of the vote compared with 28% for Romney.
Hillary Clinton's landslide statewide win was powered by an overwhelmingly lopsided victory in the massively populated five boroughs of New York City, the largest city in the United States, despite Donald Trump's longtime popular cultural association with the city. In New York City, Hillary Clinton received 2,164,575 votes compared with only 494,549 votes for Donald Trump. This represented a slight fall from Barack Obama's historic 81.2% in the city in 2012, and the borough of Staten Island flipped from Obama to Trump; however, Trump's percentage was virtually unchanged from Romney's 17.8%, and with huge victories in four boroughs Clinton's 60.9% victory margin over Trump was a slight decrease from Obama's record 63.4% margin over Romney, making Clinton's win the second-widest victory margin for a presidential candidate in New York City history.
Trump's birthplace borough of Queens gave Clinton over 75% of the vote and less than 22% to Trump. In Manhattan, home to Trump Tower, Trump's famous landmark residence, Clinton received nearly 87% while Trump received less than 10% of the vote, the worst performance ever for a major party presidential candidate in Manhattan. This made Trump's home borough one of only 3 counties in the state where Trump did worse than Mitt Romney had in 2012.
In the populous suburbs around New York City, Hillary Clinton won overall, although with the sole exception of her county of residence, there were strong swings against her compared with President Obama's performance. The downstate suburban counties around the city were historically Republican bastions, until Hillary's husband Bill Clinton made dramatic suburban gains for Democrats in the 1990s and easily swept every suburban New York county in his 1996 re-election campaign. North of the city, Clinton significantly further improved on Barack Obama's landslide margin in wealthy Westchester County, where the Clintons own their primary residence in Chappaqua, New York. Clinton won Westchester County 65-31 compared with Obama's 62–37 victory over Mitt Romney. Conversely, Trump made major gains on Long Island. Clinton won Nassau County by only a slightly reduced 6-point margin rather than the 8-point margin by which Obama had won it. However, Suffolk County swung heavily to Trump, from a 51–47 win for Obama to a 51–45 win for Trump, the first time a Republican won Suffolk County since Bill Clinton narrowly lost it to George H. W. Bush by 1.5% in 1992.
While heavily Democratic New York City had secured consistent Democratic landslides in New York State for 3 decades, since 1992 every Democratic presidential candidate would have still carried New York State even without the massive Democratic vote margins provided by the 5 boroughs, albeit by substantially closer margins. In 2012, Obama won New York State outside of New York City with 54.03% of the vote compared with Mitt Romney's 44.54%. With Donald Trump having made major gains over Romney's performance across Upstate New York and improving overall in suburban downstate, Hillary Clinton was heavily dependent on New York City for her victory; her margin of 1,724,416 votes in the Five Boroughs accounted for almost all of her statewide majority. Clinton did manage to continue the Democratic winning streak in New York State outside of New York City, albeit just barely. Removing the 5 boroughs of New York City from the result, Clinton received 2,391,543 votes while Trump received 2,324,984 votes, meaning Clinton would have won New York State without the city by 66,559 votes, a margin of 1.41% out of all statewide votes cast outside of the city.
The 2016 United States Senate election in New York held on the same day turned notably different. While Clinton only carried 12 upstate counties, Chuck Schumer won all counties in New York state except 5 and captured over 70% of the vote.