The 2018 midterm elections were perhaps the most anticipated midterm elections in American history. Voters were eager to either use their vote as a rebuke to President Donald Trump or as a show of support. It was a common sentiment that the elections offered a referendum on Trump’s presidency, That wasn’t the case in New York’s 24th Congressional District.

Incumbent Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) won re-election for this seat, defeating challenger Dana Balter. In re-electing Katko, voters affirmed their trust in his “moderate” ways. It was an impressive victory. Balter ran a great campaign, and had a passionate and energetic backing. Nationwide, Democrats made progress. But, Katko was able to withstand the Balter campaign and survive the “blue wave.”

The result affirms that people in Syracuse didn’t really view this particular race as a referendum on Trump. If they did, the county that voted in favor of Hillary Clinton in 2016, a Democrat, would have voted against the man who has voted to support most of Trump’s agenda. Rather, Katko’s re-election shows that the voters of central New York were more concerned with having a representative they were comfortable with and trusted.

Tuesday’s result, though, served as a warning shot to Katko. He was able to withstand the Democrat momentum, but even still, a significant portion of his district voted against him.

In the last debate before Tuesday’s election, Katko said he’s “not President Trump.” While that’s true, Katko needs to understand his role as a member of Congress. Congress serves as a legislative body, and also as a check and balance on the executive branch. His role, as it relates to the president, is much bigger than he seems to realize.

In the 2016 election, Trump lost in New York’s 24th Congressional District. In the two years since, Katko has voted with him 90 percent of the time. His reputation as a moderate was enough to survive in 2018. If Katko views this victory as a mandate to maintain that voting record, he will not find as much success campaigning as a moderate by the time 2020 comes around.

Nick Turner is a senior political science and policy studies major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at nturner@syr.edu.