(Bloomberg) -- Jerrold Nadler defeated Carolyn Maloney in a New York Democratic primary contest that forced two powerful veteran House lawmakers into a battle for an influential Manhattan district.

As of 9:30 p.m., Nadler emerged as the winner in the state’s newly created 12th Congressional District, according to CNN and NBC. 

The district, which unites Manhattan’s West and East sides, is safely Democratic and the primary winner is all but certain to prevail in the November general election.

Nadler, 75, is chair of the Judiciary Committee, and was a House impeachment manager during former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial. Maloney, 76, is chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, the House’s lead government-watchdog panel.

Another candidate, three-time Maloney challenger Suraj Patel, 38, grabbed 18% of the vote as of 9:30 p. In 2020, the lawyer and businessman son of Indian immigrants lost to Maloney by just 4 percentage points. He campaigned this year, in part, by arguing it was time for a younger generation to move into power.

“New Yorkers are hungry for change,” he said in one campaign appeal.

Nadler and Maloney are the two longest-serving members of the New York congressional delegation. Both have been in the House and rising through the ranks for about three decades.

Their political face-off came about after the state’s high court rejected the Democratic-controlled state legislature’s gerrymandering of New York’s congressional maps, as part of the decennial redistricting process. 

Among the eventual revisions by a court-ordered special master was the merging of part of the East side of Manhattan that Maloney has represented with a West side area where Nadler lives into a newly configured 12th Congressional District. Nadler’s old 10th district now includes parts of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. 

Both lawmakers quickly announced they would run for the seat. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stayed neutral in the race, but Nadler was endorsed by Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who said he leads with “courage, conviction, and brilliant legislative effectiveness.” Maloney reacted by saying, “the old boys network is very, very close.”

Nadler also snagged a coveted endorsement from the New York Times editorial board.

“Here is a classic case where you have long-term incumbents in a reapportionment setting put into a conflict with each other -- and they’ve got to do everything they can to survive because they don’t know what else to do with their lives,” New York-based political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said.

“Losing either of them is a tremendous loss to New York state in seniority, in relationships, and the capacity to deliver for the state,” Scheinkopf said.

While Nadler and Maloney have similar voting records they both sought to highlight contrasts in the campaign. Nadler, who’s currently New York City’s only remaining Jewish representative, criticized Maloney’s votes in favor of the Iraq War and the Patriot Act. 

Maloney emphasized her work on local issues, including prioritizing the building of the Second Avenue subway, and her record on issues important to women. She declared in one video, “You cannot send a man to do a woman’s job,” suggesting that she was better suited to fight a rollback of abortion rights.

Both candidates stumbled during the campaign on the question of whether President Joe Biden should he run for a second term. 

During an Aug. 2 debate, Maloney had surprised listeners when she said, “I don’t believe he’s running for re-election.” Nadler declined to say whether he believed Biden should run. Both have since insisted they would support Biden in 2024 if he ran.

Maloney’s defeat will create a rush to succeed her as the top Democrat next session on the Oversight committee. District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Representatives Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts and Gerald Connolly of Virginia are among those viewed as potential top contenders based on panel seniority.

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