Pat Ryan galvanized Democratic voters in an otherwise difficult year for the party controlling Washington, a victory that raises questions for GOP predictions of a "red wave."

NEW YORK — A victory in a bellwether House district in Hudson Valley gives fresh hope to Democrats ahead of a daunting 2022 midterm election and raises questions for Republicans who have been expecting a "red wave" this fall.

Democrat Pat Ryan won the hotly contested special election Tuesday, defeating Republican Marc Molinaro, NBC News projected.

The outcome reveals the power of Democratic messaging on abortion: Ryan had put the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade front and center to try and galvanize his party's voters to the polls, drawing on his military service to argue that fighting for American freedom means protecting reproductive rights.