Republican New York Congressman Mike Lawler declared victory late Tuesday over his Democratic challenger, Mondaire Jones, giving the GOP hope it could keep control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year. Lawler, a moderate Republican first elected in 2022 to represent his Rockland and Putnam Counties-based 17th district, took the victory lap as uncertified ballot returns showed him beating Jones by more than 30,000 votes with most ballots counted. “Folks, tonight the Hudson Valley told Mondaire Jones to beat it!” Lawler said to cheers at his election night party in New City. The Associated Press had not yet called the race as of midnight Tuesday. Lawler’s was one of six House races in New York that have been seen as among the most competitive in the country in this year’s congressional elections. All six races have played out in suburbs to the north and east of New York City. The GOP currently controls the House by a slim, eight-seat margin. Due to that math, the typically blue Empire State has emerged as a congressional battleground this time around, with both parties seeing the six competitive New York races as key to securing a House majority. It was too early to tell late Tuesday which party will earn a majority in the 435-seat House, as ballots continued to be tallied in races across the country. The battle between Lawler and Jones has centered around issues like the economy, immigration, abortion and public safety. Lawler, a moderate Republican who has openly criticized former President Donald Trump at times, has attempted to paint Jones, a former congressman, as being too left wing, pointing to remarks he made during his last House campaign in 2020 about the need to cut police funding. After introducing himself in 2020 as a rising progressive star, Jones has rebranded himself ahead of this year’s election, adopting more centrist policies and rhetoric, an about-face that has angered some on the party’s left. On the campaign trail, Jones argued Lawler is the one who’s too extreme for the 17th district, noting he endorsed Trump and mostly votes with his party, including on abortion matters.