While there are still some final ballot tabulations and official results left to be released, pundits generally agree that the “red wave” that forecasters predicted in this week’s midterms did not quite materialize. Republicans, despite favorable polling numbers and conditions, did not overwhelmingly lead voters to support Republicans. In many parts of the country, Democrats made gains and won voter ballot initiatives, even in red states.

One place that defied national trends, however, despite its Democratic trifecta and leftward shift in recent years, is the state of New York. Why did New York become more Republican in all geographic areas of the state during an exceptionally positive midterm election for the Democrats?

New York still has a Democratic governor, state assembly, and a state senate. Governor Kathy Hochul enjoyed enormous fundraising, incumbency, and a huge registered Democratic voter advantage over her opponent Lee Zeldin, but only eked out a 5 percent victory — one of the slimmest margins for a gubernatorial victor in years. And both the New York state assembly and senate have both lost seats to Republican challengers. Most importantly, New York’s congressional delegation has potentially lost four of its Democratic incumbent seats to Republican challengers and did not flip any seats from Republican to Democratic.