US special election: Democrats win vote seen as last bellwether of public mood on abortion ahead of midterms

Democrats, who want to make reproductive rights a focal point of the campaign, were celebrating victory on Wednesday in a US special election that was seen as the final barometer of public opinion on abortion before the midterm elections in November.

To fill the remaining months of Democrat Antonio Delgado's tenure in the House of Representatives after he resigned to become the Empire State's lieutenant governor, voters in a swing district in upstate New York cast ballots on Tuesday.

Two months after the Supreme Court ended the constitutionally protected right to an abortion, which generated widespread outrage, the race for New York's 19th congressional district is now in full swing.

According to US media outlets including NBC, ABC, and Fox News, Democrat Pat Ryan, who has attempted to turn the vote into a referendum on abortion access, was predicted to win.

He has charged that his Republican opponent Marc Molinaro and his party are "too extreme on women's rights" since they oppose such access.

According to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Sean Patrick Maloney, Ryan's victory "sends a clear message that voters are fighting back against Republicans' extreme attacks on abortion rights," according to an NBC report.

After Donald Trump won the district by almost seven points in 2016, President Joe Biden won it by less than two points in 2020. There, Barack Obama won in 2012.

In separate districts that have been freshly created as a result of the most recent round of redistricting, both candidates will be back on the ballot in November.

Ryan, who has not yet been nominated to run for a seat in the midterm elections, was on the ballot on Tuesday in two districts for two different seats in two different congresses because of the fairly antiquated system.

A number of primary elections, sometimes known as nomination battles, were held in New York, one of which pitted Democratic committee chairs Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney against one another.

With more than 95 per cent of the votes cast, Nadler easily defeated Maloney, winning with 55.4 per cent to 24.4 per cent.

(with inputs from agencies)