Subscribe to RSSDemocrat Scott Murphy Wins NY-20 Election
The congressional race in New York’s 20th District is finally over, more than three weeks after the special election took place to fill Kirsten Gillibrand’s vacated seat in the U.S House of Representatives.
Democrat Scott Murphy wins hotly contested special election in NY-20
Many political insiders and analysts viewed this race as a bellwether election on President Obama’s first months in office. Prior to Gillibrand’s victory in the district several years ago, the area had been solidly Republican. And despite trends favoring the Democrats, there are still thousands of more registered Republicans in the district than Democrats.
On election night, March 31, Democratic candidate Scott Murphy emerged with a narrow 65-vote lead on Tedisco. Since then, election officials have been counting and recounting absentee ballots and Murphy’s lead has grown. Currently he leads by 399 votes.
Republican Jim Tedisco called this afternoon to concede the race and released a statement:
“This was a close campaign every step of the way. Ultimately, it became clear that the numbers were not going our way and that the time had come to step aside and ensure that the next Congressman be seated as quickly as possible. In the interest of the citizens of the 20th Congressional district and our nation, I wish Scott the very best as he works with our new President and Congress to address the tremendous challenges facing our country.”
Democratic leaders were thankful that the race ended without much in the way of court cases. In the week or so leading up to Tedisco’s concession, his campaign had been franticly challenging votes of college students and others, most notably the absentee ballots cast by former Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand and popular Air America radio host Sam Seder.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine released a statement as well:
Washington, DC — DNC Chairman Tim Kaine praised Democrat Scott Murphy’s victory over Republican Jim Tedisco in the special election for New York’s 20th Congressional District, calling his win in a heavily Republican leaning district a demonstration of broad support for President Obama’s leadership and the President’s efforts to turn the economy around and create jobs.”Scott Murphy’s long-awaited victory is proof positive that Americans, even in this heavily Republican district, support the President and want him to succeed and the result is a repudiation of the failed policies of the past touted by Republicans,” said Kaine. ”Republicans decided to make this race a referendum on President Obama’s leadership of the economy and his jobs and economic recovery plan – and given the result we are thankful that they did. Scott Murphy embraced President Obama’s approach to the economy and his message of change while his opponent embraced the politics of division and the failed economic policies that got our country into the mess we find ourselves in today. While the Republican Party and its candidates appear to have learned nothing from recent elections and the nation’s obvious desire for change, I commend the voters in New York 20 for supporting Scott and giving the President another strong ally for change as the Obama Administration moves forward with its plans to reform healthcare, invest in clean energy and improve education.”
In the run-up to Election Day, Scott Murphy trailed Republican Jim Tedisco, the well known Minority Leader of New York State Assembly, by as much as 21 points, but came from behind in a heavily Republican district to secure a victory.
Since the beginning, the race to replace former Representative Kirsten Gillibrand has been a referendum on President Obama’s plans for the economy including passage of the President’s $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Murphy strongly supported the ARRA while Tedisco for weeks refused to say how he would have voted. Tedisco eventually was forced to say he would have opposed the President’s jobs and economic recovery package – legislation which is popular in New York 20 and across the country and which is already showing signs of success in saving and creating jobs.
President Obama formally endorsed Murphy in an email to supporters in and around New York 20 the week prior to election day, encouraging thousands of residents in the area to volunteer on behalf of Murphy. The President sent another note to tens of thousands of supporters in New York 20 on election eve urging them to go to the polls and vote for Murphy. Vice President Biden recorded a radio ad on Murphy’s behalf as well automated phones calls used to help turn out voters in the area for Murphy.
Following the President’s endorsement, the DNC ran a television ad in the Albany market touting the President’s support of Murphy and urging voters to turn out to the polls. The DNC also recruited volunteers for phone banks run out of DNC headquarters, assisted the campaign with its micro-targeting of voters, and Governor Kaine directed the committee’s major donors to contribute to the Murphy campaign.
While Republicans made the race a referendum on the President’s leadership, they also made it a priority in their efforts to rebuild the GOP after two consecutive electoral drubbings. RNC Chairman Michael Steele invested heavily in the race, said it was a “focal point” and that it was a district Republicans should win. The loss is a blow to both the GOP’s strategy of “just saying no” to President Obama’s popular and successful economic policies, but is also a huge blow to Steele and the GOP which made NY 20 the “focal point” of the party’s effort to mount an electoral comeback.
For more on the story, visit the good people at The Albany Project.
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