Update: Too Close to Call; Good Luck Tedisco!
UPDATE:
After a frenzied, bruising special election, a New York congressional race that became linked to President Barack Obama’s economic recovery efforts won’t be decided for at least two more weeks.
Democrat Scott Murphy led Republican Jim Tedisco by a scant 65 votes out of more than 154,000 cast Tuesday.After the count of machine votes in 610 voting precincts spread over the mostly rural, 10-county district, the unofficial count was 77,344 for Murphy to 77,279 for Tedisco. That puts the focus on the more than 10,000 absentee ballots mailed to voters who are registered in the district but were unable to vote in person on Tuesday.
It can be a laborious process to count all the paper ballots and those being mailed from overseas aren’t due in New York until April 13. A lawsuit filed by state Republicans Tuesday night required all ballots to be impounded to ensure accuracy. It’s not an unusual step in close elections.
Of the ballots mailed out, nearly 6,000 were returned by Tuesday but most had not yet been counted.
ORIGINAL:
Let’s all say a little prayer and wish Jim Tedisco luck in the special election in New York today where they will be counting the votes later this evening!
This could be huge for Republicans if he wins and can really be a key to boost morale and let us know that not everyone believes in Obama’s radical agenda and this could in fact be the beginning of the repudiation of such.
Obama Goes Back to Campaigning – For Special Election in N.Y.
Perhaps seeking to regain some luster to his presidency, Barack Obama has jumped into the political fray and endorsed Scott Murphy for Congress in NY 20th district.
In an email sent to around 50,000 supporters in the district, the president urged people to organize for the democratic candidate who is running against Republican Jim Tedesco with the winner to take over the seat vacated when Kirsten Gillibrand was elevated to the senate:
Today I’m announcing my support for Scott Murphy, candidate for New York’s 20th Congressional District,” the email reads. “He’s created jobs by building and growing small businesses while bringing people together to address difficult challenges. He supports the economic recovery plan we’ve put in place, and I know we can count on him as an ally for change.
“To restore our economy and build a foundation for lasting prosperity, I’ll need Scott’s help. This week, Scott needs yours. Sign up and pitch in to elect Scott Murphy to Congress.
Polls show a very tight race so this should be very interesting. RNC Chairman Michael Steele is throwing money and expertise into the race while national Republicans of every stripe have come out in support of the GOP candidate.
Now with Obama throwing the weight of his presidency behind Murphy, a defeat would cause great damage. This would lead me to believe that the White House’s internal numbers on the race are pretty favorable to Murphy although in a special election, turnout is the big question mark.
Will Obamabots get out of their houses and vote for Murphy next Tuesday? If not, he and his surrogates will spend the next few days answering questions about why he entered the race in the first place and does a loss indicate a growing uneasiness with his policies.
Vote a conservative into that district of New York – Jim Tedisco! Donate here.
