UPDATE: Zeldin Claims Victory, Says 'Powerful Message' Was Sent In 1st District Race; Throne-Holst Concedes

Anna Throne-Holst delivered her concession speech at 11 p.m. in Hauppauge. She said her congressional campaign was a “privilege of a lifetime.”

“I know none of us wanted tonight to turn out the way it did,” she said. “We need to bear in mind that we are about unity. We are about public service. We are about issues that matter.

“We’re not going to stop here,” she continued. “‘Cause that’s not who we are. We’re about moving forward.”

Attendees at the Democratic Committee headquarters in Hauppauge have expressed concern over the close presidential race.

“Trump represents evil,” Sandra Thomas of Babylon said, shaking her head. “This is wrong. I’m shocked and upset that so many people are supporting him. His racism and intolerance … it’s Hitler all over again.”

“He thinks everything’s a joke,” chimed in Gene Blanding, also from Babylon.

“Talking about grabbing women by the genitals? It’s a sin and a shame,” Ms. Thomas replied.

She said she felt the Trump campaign attempted to discredit Ms. Clinton, in part, because she was a woman.

“When you tell a lie often enough it becomes the truth,” Ms. Thomas said.

When asked what the two women would do if Mr. Trump was elected president, Ms. Thomas replied, “we’re all going to enforce our 2nd amendment rights.”

“I can’t even imagine,” Ms. Blanding said. “He has no platform.”

“He wants to be a dictator,” Ms. Thomas said.

She said that she felt that eight years ago the country was at the brink of economic collapse, and although the country is not perfect right now, it is “a lot further along” than it was before President Barack Obama.

Beverly Beresford of West Babaloyn said she believed Ms. Clinton would win and that she would be praying for it until final results are in.

“A powerful message was sent all around the 1st Congressional District today, all throughout the state of New York, and all around America. We love our country, you helped knock on those doors and make those calls, your passion, patriotism and desire to secure our country and grow our economy for our next generation,” Mr. Zeldin said in a victory speech at a 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday night.

Mr. Zeldin lead from wire to wire in the race for the 1st Congressional District seat, soundly defeating Ms. Throne-Holst to secure another two-year term in Washington, D.C. The incumbent finished with more than 174,000 votes, accounting for nearly 59 percent of all ballots cast. His opponent collected approximately 122,000 votes, or about 41 percent of ballots cast, according to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Meanwhile, Mr. LaValle cruised to victory in the race for the 1st Senatorial District, finishing with more than 67 percent of all ballots cast, while Mr. Thiele also won reelection, securing nearly 62 percent of ballots cast in his reelection bid.

Anna Throne-Holst conceded that she did not have a very good chance of winning the election for the 1st Congressional District seat, at a Democratic Party gathering in Hauppauge. She said coming to the home stretch of the campaign is a relief but also sad.

“You can’t believe it’s actually here and in some ways wishing we had endless time,” she said. “It’s bittersweet.”

She emphasized that regardless of who is elected, she felt it was important to have more compromise in Congress.

“I think we need people who are willing to work together to put partisanship aside to find common ground,” she said. “Partisanship has to come to an end.”

When asked what she would do if she did not win the seat, Ms. Throne-Holst said she would “always be a public servant.” She said she was grateful for everyone who worked on her campaign.

“I think everyone worked so hard and put their hearts in the right place.”

In a statement issued at 10:07 p.m., National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden declared Mr. Zeldin the victor in his first reelection campaign.

“Congratulations to Lee Zeldin on his hard-earned victory in New York’s 1st District tonight,” Mr. Walden said. “He has been a committed public servant, fighting for the interests of his constituents and sponsoring numerous bills to combat the threat of terrorism both home and abroad. I am excited to continue working alongside Lee in 2017.”

Mr. Zeldin continues to build on his lead with 313 of 473 election districts reported as of 10:10 p.m. He has received nearly 60 percent of ballots cast.

Sam and Ageda Gonzalez, Hillary Clinton supporters, closely watched results unfold at the Democratic Party headquarters in Hauppauge. They said after watching the campaign since the beginning, they are concerned with how close the race is so far.

“It’s very difficult to see the numbers coming out the way they are,” Ageda Gonzalez said.

“Trump is ahead in some key swing states,” Sam Gonzalez added. “It doesn’t look good.”

“The night is still young,” Ageda said to her husband.

With 90 percent of the vote in, Southampton Town Justice Andrea Schiavoni will win reelection with two-thirds of the vote.

Mr. Zeldin continues to pad his lead in the race for the 1st Congressional District, leading with 59.3 percent of ballots cast as of 9:58 p.m. Ms. Throne-Holst has 40.6 percent of ballots cast with 240 of 473 election districts reported.

At Bay Street Theater, Rudy Lemp, 73, a Southampton resident of 12 years and formerly of Germany, showed concern for the results. “In general, it’s much more close than I expected. It’s so strange seeing this through the eyes of a foreigner how a man with such language and background so close to the presidency.”

As of 9:47 p.m., Mr. LaValle holds a commanding two-to-one lead over Mr. Fischer with 83 of 212 election districts reported. Mr. LaValle, who has served in Albany for the past 40 years, has 33,571 votes thus far while his opponent has received 16,392 votes.

With just shy of half the election districts in the 1st Assembly District accounted for as of 9:54 p.m., Mr. Thiele has continued to maintain his lead over Ms. Collins. He has received more 14,000 votes to Ms. Collins’s 7,900, according to the Board of Elections.

The CPF extension is passing easily in all towns except Shelter Island, which has no precincts reported.

Applause erupts whenever Lee Zeldin is named in the Emporium, with Chairman LaValle calling him the “shot heard around the world.”

Excitement is building at the Enporium as results continue to flow in. Random burst of cheers erupt as results update.

With a third of districts reporting, Southampton Town Justice Andrea Schiavoni has a comfortable lead over challenger Ernest Wruck, with nearly 65 percent of the vote.

CPF extension passing by a two-to-one margin in early returns.

Attendees at Bay Street are starting to worry at Trump’s number of red states and number of states too close to call.

Democratic officials have said Anna Throne-Holst is not expected to speak until 10:30 p.m. in the race for the 1st Congressional District.

With just over 25 percent of districts reported, Mr. Zeldin continues to maintain a comfortable lead over Ms. Throne-Holst. He has received 45,847 votes, or 58.6 percent of ballots cast, as of 9:44 p.m. Ms. Throne-Holst, who is making her first bid for Congress, has received 32,341 votes, or 41.4 percent of ballots cast.

Suffolk County Republican Chairman John Jay LaValle congratulates county Republicans as he leaves to head to the Trump party in Manhattan.

Mr. Zeldin is maintaining his lead over his Democratic challenger with 32,507 votes as of 9:40 p.m., with 86 of 473 election districts reporting. Ms. Throne-Holst has received 23,147 votes, or 41.6 percent of ballots cast thus far.

Incumbent U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin holds a comfortable lead over Democratic challenger Anna Throne-Holst, a former Southampton Town supervisor, with 25 of 473 election districts reported as of 9:30 p.m. in the race for the 1st Congressional District. Mr. Zeldin, a Republican from Shirley who is seeking reelection for the first time, has received 8,005 votes to Ms. Throne-Holst’s 5,882 votes, according to unofficial results posted by the Suffolk County Board of Elections. The district includes all five East End towns and most of Brookhaven Town.

In the 1st Senatorial District race, longtime Republican State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle holds a comfortable lead over Democratic challenger Greg Fischer. Mr. LaValle leads with more than 67.3 percent of the vote with 20 of 212 election districts reported as of 9:35 p.m. The 1st Senatorial District includes all five East End towns and a portion of Brookhaven Town.

In the 1st Assembly District race, incumbent State Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr. leads Republican challenger Heather Collins, an employee of the Suffolk County Board of Elections, with 63.2 percent of the vote with 16 of 90 election districts reported as of 9:37 p.m. Mr. Thiele has served in office for 21 years and his district spans the entire South Fork, including Shelter Island, and goes as far west as Shirley.

Southampton Village Deputy Mayor Rich Yastrzemski said he is optimistic as the polls close, saying that “It’s going to be close in key states” in the presidential race. On Long Island h congratulated the Republican candidates on a great campaign this season.

Southampton Town Republican Chairman Damon Hagan said he is very excited this year with “Southampton Town leading the way on Long Island.”

Democratic Headquarters in Hauppauge is slow to fill up, with just over two dozen attendees so far. The reporters almost outnumber the attendees. No signs of Anna Throne-Holst yet.

Lee Zeldin’s father is sitting front row center at the Emporium. Just five more minutes until polls close. The main floor of the venue is slowly filling with more and more bright red “Make America Great Again” hats with most people assembling around the TVs as national results start to roll in. Southampton Village Trustee Richard Yastrzemski just arrived.

People are filing into the Suffolk county Republican Party at the emporium in Patchogue as little girls in patriotic dresses run around flashing “Zeldin for Congress” signs and the crowd breaks out in applause.

Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, where election results will be shown, is starting to slowly fill up, inside the theater is almost dead silent, a group in lobby/bar area is talking about Mr. Trump’s sexual abuse allegations.

Several key national and local elected positions will be decided Tuesday as registered voters in East Hampton and Southampton towns head to the polls.

In addition to the presidential showdown between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump, the most contested local race is for the 1st Congressional District, where voters are being asked to choose between incumbent Republican Lee Zeldin and challenger Anna Throne-Holst for the Democrats. Mr. Zeldin first took office in January 2015 after unseating longtime Congressman Tim Bishop, while Ms. Throne-Holst is the former Southampton Town Supervisor.

While there are several contested races on the East End, perhaps one of the most important votes will be cast regarding a proposition to extend the Community Preservation Fund and alter the program to allow money to be used for water quality projects as well. If the proposition is approved, the CPF program—which imposes a real estate transfer tax of 2 percent to raise money to purchase and preserve open space, farmland, historic resources and community spaces—will be extended through 2050 and generate an extra $1.5 billion for preservation across the five East End Towns of Southampton, East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, and Southold. The towns would each be allowed to use up to 20 percent of the money for water quality issues.

Two candidates will also be battling it out for a single four-year justice seat in the Southampton Town Justice Court—Ernest R. Wruck, a Republican, and Andrea H. Schiavoni, the incumbent running on the Democratic and numerous other party lines.

State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. of the Independence Party is being challenged by Republican Heather Collins. At the same time, Republican Kenneth P. LaValle is hoping to retain his seat on the State Senate against challenging Democrat Gregory Fischer.

Polls in New York will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Residents can check for their local polling place online at Suffolkvotes.com.

Check back with 27east.com frequently for updates Tuesday night after the polls close.