1996Final results
1996 election for New York's 1st District
U.S. House · New York
Michael Forbes (R) won with 54.7% of the vote, defeating Nora L. Bredes (D) by 9.4 points.
Michael ForbesRepublican · winner
54.7%116,620
Nora L. BredesDemocrat
45.3%96,496
213,116 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1996
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Nora L. BredesMichael Forbes
$427K
Raised by the campaign
$1M
$394.1K
Spent by the campaign
$918.2K
$33K
Cash on hand
$126.9K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996