Democrats have now flipped 40 state legislative seats from red to blue. DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement on the results of tonight’s special elections in New York:

“Congratulations to New York state Senators-Elect Shelley Mayer and Luis Sepulveda, and to all the newly elected Democratic New York state Assembly members. The voters of New York have spoken. Not only did Democrats flip one state Assembly seat, we also won two state Senate races that we need to give us the majority in the New York state Senate and put us one step closer to shifting the balance of power in a legislative chamber that has been controlled by Republicans for the better part of 80 years. Working families in New York want leaders who will fight for the issues that matter to them. They know Democrats have their back, and tonight is further proof that when we organize and lead with our values, we’re unstoppable.

“The DNC was proud to invest $100,000 in the New York Democratic Party (NYDP) through the State Party Innovation Fund (SPIF) to help expand the party’s efforts to engage and organize voters around the state. The state party has already leveraged this increased organizing capacity to lift up Shelley Mayer and start building the support we need to keep winning up and down the ballot in 2018. We look forward to working with the NYDP to keep organizing and electing Democrats across the state.”