The geographically accurate cartogram above shows the 2018 gubernatorial results in New York based on county populations. The larger the county on this map, the larger its population. The map shows that even though Andrew Cuomo only won 15 of the 62 counties in the state, those 15 counties make up such a large chunk of the state's population that he could afford to lose 47 counties.
Findings
- Cuomo won all five counties of New York City.
- He also won nine of the 12 counties of the New York City metropolitan area (which accounts for nearly three-fourths of the state's population).
- Molinaro won 47 out of 62 counties but as the cartogram shows, all those counties have relatively small populations.
- Cuomo also won counties by larger margins of victory.
Caveats
- There may still be a few votes not counted.
- The map is presented in an Albers equal-area conic projection.
- The choropleth classification is based on Jenks or natural breaks.
Summary
This map shows that anybody running for office in New York state can completely ignore the vast expanse outside of the New York City metropolitan area and still win by a sizable margin. Although this makes sense democratically, the needs of the mostly rural counties upstate are completely different to those of the major urban centers like New York City and Buffalo (which Cuomo also won - it is in Erie County). On the federal level, this issue is alleviated with the electoral college, making sure that people living in large swaths of the country are not ignored, but that brings up the issue that those people's votes count more than the people in populous states. Neither method is perfect and its doubtful that there is a graceful solution to this problem.
An electoral college in the state would not work as each county in the state is not guaranteed one representative in either chamber. So for now, the interests of the rural counties - which take up well over half the landmass of the state - will be ignored. However, if counties were alloted one seat in the upper house each and at least one in the lower house with the lower house allotment based on population, then there would be 213 electors which would require winning 107 to win statewide office. In that scenario, Cuomo would still win by winning 117 electors to Molinaro's 96. Still a victory for Cuomo but a much tighter one.
Data
| County | Cuomo (%) | Molinaro (%) | Total Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | 50.43 | 39.84 | 108,896 |
| Allegany | 21.97 | 66.68 | 14,433 |
| Bronx | 89.56 | 7.94 | 260,039 |
| Broome | 41.55 | 49.96 | 69,205 |
| Cattaraugus | 27.98 | 61.80 | 23,342 |
| Cayuga | 34.19 | 52.78 | 26,410 |
| Chautauqua | 34.17 | 58.74 | 41,728 |
| Chemung | 32.71 | 57.59 | 28,138 |
| Chenango | 28.73 | 60.81 | 15,936 |
| Clinton | 41.80 | 49.23 | 24,830 |
| Columbia | 42.44 | 50.96 | 26,173 |
| Cortland | 37.44 | 47.62 | 15,779 |
| Delaware | 31.44 | 58.88 | 15,806 |
| Dutchess | 44.11 | 52.55 | 107,264 |
| Erie | 50.04 | 44.14 | 324,589 |
| Essex | 42.75 | 46.66 | 13,427 |
| Franklin | 37.04 | 49.45 | 13,276 |
| Fulton | 22.63 | 69.10 | 16,296 |
| Genesee | 24.40 | 65.62 | 20,417 |
| Greene | 29.04 | 61.79 | 18,060 |
| Hamilton | 23.67 | 64.02 | 2,493 |
| Herkimer | 25.66 | 64.48 | 20,989 |
| Jefferson | 28.38 | 63.04 | 28,408 |
| Kings | 81.31 | 13.28 | 600,224 |
| Lewis | 19.08 | 71.26 | 8,627 |
| Livingston | 32.48 | 57.38 | 24,573 |
| Madison | 33.41 | 56.09 | 24,633 |
| Monroe | 49.37 | 41.76 | 272,949 |
| Montgomery | 27.07 | 65.00 | 14,841 |
| Nassau | 55.08 | 40.59 | 477,530 |
| New York | 85.42 | 9.78 | 485,790 |
| Niagara | 37.68 | 56.55 | 69,708 |
| Oneida | 33.75 | 56.18 | 76,330 |
| Onondaga | 46.98 | 41.96 | 168,305 |
| Ontario | 36.10 | 53.87 | 42,290 |
| Orange | 44.99 | 48.71 | 119,242 |
| Orleans | 23.13 | 68.22 | 12,505 |
| Oswego | 29.25 | 58.56 | 37,454 |
| Otsego | 35.66 | 53.02 | 20,452 |
| Putnam | 41.10 | 53.44 | 37,122 |
| Queens | 77.58 | 18.14 | 472,253 |
| Rensselaer | 37.47 | 52.53 | 58,664 |
| Richmond | 48.96 | 48.08 | 133,408 |
| Rockland | 52.09 | 42.79 | 97,792 |
| Saratoga | 37.63 | 54.48 | 91,479 |
| Schenectady | 42.14 | 49.69 | 52,823 |
| Schoharie | 23.89 | 66.64 | 11,598 |
| Schuyler | 31.27 | 54.00 | 7,035 |
| Seneca | 34.13 | 53.74 | 11,203 |
| St. Lawrence | 32.46 | 55.94 | 31,488 |
| Steuben | 25.98 | 60.89 | 32,725 |
| Suffolk | 50.14 | 46.21 | 507,055 |
| Sullivan | 40.45 | 52.50 | 22,931 |
| Tioga | 31.28 | 59.31 | 17,528 |
| Tompkins | 63.58 | 24.07 | 34,705 |
| Ulster | 50.92 | 43.36 | 72,743 |
| Warren | 36.55 | 56.29 | 23,226 |
| Washington | 30.04 | 63.03 | 19,358 |
| Wayne | 28.16 | 61.19 | 30,396 |
| Westchester | 65.55 | 30.59 | 314,005 |
| Wyoming | 19.30 | 73.86 | 13,535 |
| Yates | 29.54 | 61.40 | 7,546 |
Sources
New York State Board of Elections. "NYS Board of Elections Unofficial Election Night Results." Accessed November 12, 2018. https://nyenr.elections.ny.gov/.
United States Census Bureau. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016." Accessed December 12, 2017. http://factfinder2.census.gov.