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Democrat Murphy Predicts Win In NY-20

Scott Murphy, the Democratic candidate in the super-close NY-20 special election, has put out this statement predicting victory:

"Eight weeks ago, we were down over twenty points and they said this couldn't be done. The election results proved something very different," said Murphy. "The voters of the 20th Congressional District made clear they want a leader with proven business experience who will work across the aisle to bring common sense solutions to Washington.

"Thanks to our unbelievable grassroots supporters who helped build this amazing campaign in just eight weeks, we've defied the odds and we won a majority of votes cast Tuesday.

"We are confident that once all the absentee ballots are counted, we will expand our lead and we will go to Congress and partner with Senator Gillibrand and President Obama to create jobs and turn our economy around."

Also, Jim Tedisco's campaign manager has put out this statement, reminding everyone that the vote-counting isn't over:

"Last night some of the votes in this election have been counted, but not all. It is important to remember that this continues to be an ongoing election. Absentee ballots continue to come in, including those of our military members serving overseas, and those votes must be counted under the law. Until every one of those ballots have been received and a final tabulation has been certified after the April 13th deadline, the state board of elections must take decisive action to ensure that the integrity of this election is preserved and that all the voices of the 20th Congressional district are heard in full."

4 Comments

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with a margin of 60 votes and THOUSANDS of absentee ballots remaining to be counted in the republican district, i think its a bit premature to declare victory...

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I agree the race is far from over -- but claiming victory is the right move for Murphy to make.

Did we learn nothing from the Republicans in Florida in 2000? It is essential to establish a winning narrative no matter how small the lead is -- it should not be over-confidence, but it should express a firm belief that we are winning and that we will win.

Already Tedisco folks are claiming that they will have an advantage among the absentee ballots - they are also trying to establish the perception of likely victory...

I think Murphy is striking the right tone - at the beginning of the campaign no one gave him a chance, he won a major upset by being ahead last night, and we are confident that once all of the votes are counted that margin will grow...

Establishing perception is critical for getting the right spin on the story...

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Sadly I have to agree. Th pressure on the perceived loser is used to short-circuit the process,like Bush did to Gore, and like Coleman tried to do by calling on Franken not to drag the state through a recount.

Not that I don't sympathize with the point that spin is silly at this point when the votes are cast and there's nothing left but the counting. However, Bush v. Gore changed the rules.

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spin doesn't help you win if the votes aren't there...

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