1996Final results
1996 election for New York's 20th District
U.S. House · New York
Benjamin Gilman (R) won with 57.1% of the vote, defeating Yash P. Aggarwal (D) by 19.4 points.
Benjamin GilmanRepublican · winner
57.1%122,479
Yash P. AggarwalDemocrat
37.6%80,761
Robert F. GarrisonRight to Life
3.0%6,356
Ira W. GoodmanIndependent
2.3%5,016
214,612 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.
Yash P. AggarwalBenjamin Gilman
$212K
Raised by the campaign
$778.7K
$210.7K
Spent by the campaign
$683K
$1.3K
Cash on hand
$132.2K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Benjamin Gilman (R)Yash P. Aggarwal (D)
Also on the ballot: Robert F. Garrison (Right to Life), 3.0%; Ira W. Goodman (Independent), 2.3%