Murphy Now Leads By 178 Votes In NY-20
The latest score in the NY-20 special election, as absentee ballots are being counted, has Democratic candidate Scott Murphy ahead of Republican candidate Jim Tedisco by 178 votes, up from a 167-vote lead this morning.
The counties are either completely done or almost done with counting up the votes, and this stage of the process could be finished up tomorrow.
The next step will be on Monday, when review and potential counting begins for the 1,200 absentee-ballot envelopes that have been challenged, and thus kept out of the count for now. A key ruling yesterday by Judge James V. Brands makes it likely that the vast majority of these challenges will be overruled, and the votes will be counted.
From the available evidence it looks like the Tedisco camp challenged more ballots than Murphy's people did -- but not all counties have divulged the breakdown, most notably Saratoga County with its 740 total challenges. If this general assumption were to turn out to be correct, then the most probable outcome would be that Murphy will pick up additional net votes.
Josh
Matt
Eric
More votes coming in from the Murphy counties of Dutchess and Essex. As well as the Tedisco county of Rensselaer. Out of the 85 votes counted from the three, Murphy came out on top, roughly 48-37. About as you would expect.
I find it interesting that some counties will not share challenged ballot breakdowns, relative to who challenged the ballots; Murphy or Tedisco.
Why would you care who knew that information?
Colombia was more than happy to share. But not Saratoga?
And the campaigns themselves. Surely they have that information. Why wouldn't they release it? Especially if it benefited their guy?
Must be a media message control thingy. Or something. Keep the other side guessing? Whatever?? Unknown.
April 16, 2009 5:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
A lead of 178 with only 1,200 ballots (possibly less) to count would mean that Tedesco would have to make up 14% of the vote in those contested ballots to win. That doesn't seem very likely considering Tedesco only won conservative Saratoga County by less than 10 points. Regardless of a Murphy win, I still hope we have Michael Steele to kick around for a while.
April 16, 2009 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder what Michael Steele will say now.
April 16, 2009 6:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Indeed. He was crowing over his supposed victory he just a couple of weeks ago. Will he switch now to saying that losing in a Republican district is still some kind of *moral* victory?
April 17, 2009 2:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
This should be over by the end of next week methinks.
April 16, 2009 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
as some one once said.... "This could go on for Years".....
April 16, 2009 8:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
In the category of un - believeable, PolitikerNY reports that the Republicans simply walked away from the counting in Dutchess County today, and took in a Yankees game instead. http://www.politickerny.com/
April 16, 2009 10:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
New results as of 10:00 Friday: Murphy by 264.
Also seems there may be some doubt regarding the Tedisco lawsuit story; conversation on DKos indicates the reporter may have confused the original Tedisco motion filed on election day with a new suit.
April 17, 2009 11:10 AM | Reply | Permalink