TPMDC NY-20
Health Care
Bucking The Trend? Dems In Tough Races Run On Vote For Health Care Reform (VIDEO)
Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. John Larson (D-CT)
The conventional wisdom suggests that Democrats are "running scared" from health care reform. But the truth is that most Democrats have nothing to be afraid of -- and those who do, by and large, voted against it. Of course, some of the vulnerable Dems who voted for the bill are happy to avoid the subject. But a surprising number are running on reform, in ads, op-eds, and debates in their states and districts.
While it's true that a number of the most conservative and vulnerable Dems are outwardly repudiating their party's leadership, Speaker Pelosi herself yesterday sought to set the record straight on Democratic pride in reform.
"It's important to note -- and I say this all the time -- the plural of anecdote is not data," she told reporters. "At least 200 members are out there boasting the benefit of the health care bill. At least. There may be some who did vote for the bill who are not talking it up -- they didn't vote for it. There are others who are soft peddling it, maybe, because other issues are working for them better. "
Below the top five examples of Democrats turning the CW on its head.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 2010 elections, Brad Ellsworth, Democrats, Dina Titus, Earl Pomeroy, Harry Reid, Health Care, House of Representatives, Ken Buck, Michael Bennet, ND-House At Large, NV-03, NV-SEN, NY-20, Nancy Pelosi, Repealing health care, Ron Johnson, Russ Feingold, Scott Murphy, Senate, Sharron Angle, WI-SEN
Tea Party
Top Conservatives On Twitter FAIL
(For the uninitiated, the "#" allows twitterers to code their messages in a way that makes them all easily accessible--all tweets appended with "#tcot" can be found by searching for the term at this website.)
What could "#tcot" mean, we thought? Teabagging Conservatives' Organizing Tool? Tremendous Collection of Ornery Tweets?
In fact, it stands for "Top Conservatives On Twitter," and it is, in a way, a perfectly accurate moniker.
Topics: Arlen Specter, MN-SEN, NY-20, Republicans, Tea Party, Twitter
NY-20
Scott Murphy Sworn In As New Congressman For New York's 20th District
Rep. Scott Murphy (D-NY) was just sworn in to the House of Representatives, capping off a four-week process that has lasted since the photo-finish on the night of his special election way back on March 31.
Murphy has taken the upstate New York seat formerly held by U.S. Sen Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), whose appointment to the Senate caused the special election in this marginal district. It took over three weeks for the winner to be known as absentee ballots were counted, with Murphy up by 399 votes at the end of last week when his Republican opponent Jim Tedisco conceded the race.
Murphy's certificate of election has not actually been issued yet, as the state continues to go through the bureaucratic niceties of finalizing the vote count. But because the outcome is no longer in any doubt, Murphy was permitted to take the oath of office.
Late Update: A funny moment occurred during the swearing-in. Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for the whole New York delegation to step forward. "Aren't there any Republicans from New York?" Pelosi asked rhetorically, and then chuckled. There are three GOP members out of 29, down from nine GOPers just four years ago.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: NY-20
MN-SEN
Minnesota Democrats Thank Tedisco For Doing The Right Thing And Conceding NY-20
It's not every day that Democrats in the Midwest will comment on a political event in the Northeast. But the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is now chiming in on the NY-20 special election, after Republican candidate Jim Tedisco conceded defeat in the narrow race, and contrasting this with Norm Coleman's decision to bottle up Al Franken's Senate victory in litigation.
"I congratulate Jim Tedisco for doing the right thing and conceding this race. Now the people of New York's 20th congressional district will once again be fully represented in Congress," DFL Party chairman Brian Melendez says in a press release.
"Unfortunately, Minnesotans are not as fortunate. Nearly six months after Election Day -- and the meticulous and fair process that followed -- we remain without full representation in the U.S. Senate."
Full press release after the jump -- plus a similar release from the Democratic National Committee.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (8)Topics: MN-SEN, NY-20
Michael Steele
DNC Razzes Steele On NY-20
The Democratic National Committee is quickly seizing the opportunity presented by the party's victory in the NY-20 special election -- to gloat over all the effort that Michael Steele and the Republicans put into this race.
The Dems have released this new Web video, entitled "Broken Steele":
"That's a seat that we should be able to go in and be competitive and win," Steele is shown saying. "I'm gonna put -- make it a focal point, right out of the box."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Michael Steele, NY-20
NY-20
Democrat Murphy Wins, GOPer Tedisco Concedes NY-20 Special Election
The NY-20 special election is now officially over, with Democrat Scott Murphy the winner.
GOP candidate Jim Tedisco, who trailed by 401 votes as of yesterday's vote count, has called Murphy to concede, according to Murphy spokesman Ryan Rudominer. (The latest vote count puts Murphy ahead by 399 votes.)
Murphy takes over in the seat from its previous Democratic occupant, Kirsten Gillibrand, whose appointment to the United States Senate set up the special election for this marginal district.
The election was on March 31, three and a half weeks ago, but it took this long to get a winner because it was so close and involved a lengthy process of counting and litigation of absentee ballots. Still not all of the ballots have been reported in, but it became very clear over the last few days that there was really no way Tedisco could have pulled it off.
Tedisco has released a statement, saying among other things:
"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."
Speaker Pelosi's office confirms to us that Murphy will be sworn in next week.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (4)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Tedisco Tries To Make Roadkill Of Sam Seder's Ballot
We can now add another illustrious name to the list of absentee voters whose ballots in the NY-20 special election have been challenged by the campaign of GOP candidate Jim Tedisco: Sam Seder, the liberal talk-radio host with Air America!
Sam posted a message on Twitter yesterday: "NY20th race Tedisco challenged my absentee ballot. 4 days before the election I was jury foreman for a trial in NY20th. Challenge Fail."
The Tedisco camp had previously challenged U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's ballot -- the person that Tedisco is seeking to replace in Congress -- and now Sam is on the list, too.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: NY-20, Twitter
NY-20
Murphy Now Ahead By 401 Votes In NY-20
Scott Murphy is creating some more distance between himself and Republican candidate Jim Tedisco in the NY-20 special election. Murphy now leads by 401 votes, compared to a 365-vote lead yesterday.
Some more absentee ballots were counted in the Murphy strongholds of Columbia, Essex, Warren and Washington Counties -- plus the Tedisco stronghold of Saratoga County. And while Tedisco did net 38 votes from the newest ballots in Saratoga, it was more than outstripped by the other places.
Keep in mind that Tedisco actually won the Election Night count by 68 votes -- but by the time we found that out, after errors in the counties' spreadsheets were all double-checked, the absentees had started to come in. And Murphy has been consistently picking up votes during the absentee count.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Murphy's Lead Now 365 Votes In NY-20
Democratic candidate Scott Murphy's lead in the NY-20 special election has expanded yet again, after some challenged ballots were counted in his stronghold of Warren County, and he now leads Republican candidate Jim Tedisco by 365 votes in the latest state numbers.
In the previous numbers on Friday, Murphy's lead was at 273 votes, so he has now gained 91 votes in Warren, plus an additional one vote added in Essex County. Things just keep looking better and better for Murphy.
The ballots that were counted here, Warren Democratic chairman and local election official Bill Montfort explained to me, were votes that had been set aside when a campaign had objected, even if both the Democratic and Republican election commissioners thought they should be counted.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Tedisco Gets Break From Judge, But Still Has Uphill Fight In NY-20 Litigation
Jim Tedisco, the GOP nominee in the disputed NY-20 special election, has just won a legal victory for now, with Judge James V. Brands reversing himself on a major ruling from last week, which had appeared to stop Tedisco in his tracks in his efforts to challenge absentee votes for Democrat Scott Murphy. But he still has a lot of work to do in overcoming Murphy's current 273-vote lead.
Brands had ruled last week that Tedisco and the GOP were not entitled to copies of the original absentee-ballot applications. Brands has now agreed with the Tedisco camp's arguments that the legal precedents he cited didn't truly apply here, and that the law does entitle Tedisco to those absentee applications.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
NY-20 Vote Count Going Forward -- Slowly
The remaining vote-count in the NY-20 special election is starting to take shape, with the lawyers and local election officials set to gather on Thursday to review...about 200 ballots.
Judge James V. Brands just handed down an order formalizing an agreement from both sides.
About 200 ballots that were opened up but objected to on the basis of voter intent -- that is, a campaign challenged it based on how the voter marked it, similar to the ballot-challenges we saw in Minnesota -- will be brought to the State Elections Board, as a centralized location, on Thursday.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Murphy Leads By 273 Votes, With Initial Phase Of Absentee-Counting Finished
The counties are now all done with the initial counting of absentee ballots in the NY-20 special election, and the latest results show Democratic candidate Scott Murphy ahead of Republican Jim Tedisco by 273 votes, as the counting finished up in the pro-Murphy areas of Dutchess and Washington Counties.
There now remain about 1,500 challenged absentee ballot envelopes, most of which have been kept completely out of the count based on objections lodged by the campaigns. It appears that far more challenges were lodged by the Tedisco campaign than by Murphy, which would lead to Murphy picking up more net votes due to the expectation that the vast majority of challenges will be thrown out and the ballots counted. The court review of the challenged ballots will begin on Monday.
At this point, it's difficult to envision a scenario under which Tedisco wins.
Late Update: The Tedisco campaign gives us this statement from their attorney James E. Walsh:
"After two weeks of counting the votes, the one thing that remains certain is that this continues to be a remarkably close race and every vote matters. On Monday, we intend to make our case before the judge that this important election should be decided by the lawful voters of the 20th Congressional district and not by residents of New York City."PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)
Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Dem Source: Challenged Ballots Look Good For Murphy
The major question mark that still remains in the NY-20 special election, where Democratic candidate Scott Murphy currently leads Republican Jim Tedisco by 264 votes, is how those absentee ballots that are being kept out the count because of challenges by one campaign or another will ultimately add up.
A Democratic source tells me that the total number of challenged absentee ballots comes in at 1,579 -- of which 1,025 were lodged by Tedisco. This number has some plausibility to it, as there are already about 200 more Tedisco challenges each in Columbia and Warren counties, based on my own discussions with local elections officials. The big question is the breakdown in Saratoga County, which hasn't divulged the makeup of its 740 challenges.
Assuming this data is correct, and also that most campaign-launched challenges are overruled and the envelopes opened and counted, this would mean that Murphy could gain about 500 more net votes after these are all sorted out. The review process will begin in court on Monday.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
About That Tedisco Filing...
The blogosphere has been abuzz about a reported filing by Republican Congressional candidate Jim Tedisco, asking to be declared the winner in the NY-20 special election. Does the filing really say that he should be declared the winner, notwithstanding the fact that he's down in the count?
Not exactly. I've now had the chance to look through the filing, and what it really does is formally state Tedisco's goal of being declared the winner -- after all, you can't go to court without some kind of specified goal -- and then it goes into the various complaints that Tedisco has, mainly relating to challenges against Murphy voters as being allegedly ineligible to vote in the election.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Gillibrand's Ballot In NY-20 Has Been Counted -- For Now
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand can rest easy, at least for now: Her absentee ballot in the NY-20 special election, which had been challenged by the campaign of GOP candidate Jim Tedisco, has been counted, and is included in the current vote totals that put Democrat Scott Murphy ahead by 264 votes.
However, this is not quite the end of the story, and the potential remains for it to be un-counted later on, though it doesn't seem likely that such a thing would actually happen.
Tedisco's campaign alleged on Tuesday that Gillibrand was ineligible to vote absentee because she was in her home county on Election Day. Gillibrand denies that she was there when the polls were open -- that she only arrived after the polls had closed. And it's also worth noting that the current governing case law in New York says that the ballot would still be counted.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Murphy's Lead Now 264 Votes In NY-20
The latest score in the NY-20 special election shows Democratic candidate Scott Murphy ahead of Republican Jim Tedisco by 264 votes, as more absentee ballots were tallied in the Murphy strongholds of Columbia and Warren Counties.
In the absentee ballots counted so far, Murphy's percentage of the vote has been better for most counties than his Election Night totals were on a county by county basis. The only exceptions have been Saratoga County, the single largest county and a Tedisco stronghold, and Otsego County, which only cast about two percent of the total absentees. But the overall trend elsewhere has more than outweighed those two.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
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.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Murphy Now Leads By 167 Votes In NY-20
The latest state score in NY-20 shows Democratic candidate Scott Murphy ahead of Republican Jim Tedisco by 167 votes, a margin of 50.05%-49.95%, up from an 86-vote lead at the close of business yesterday -- making it appear more likely than not that Murphy will be the winner when all is said and done.
The big question now is how the roughly 1,200 challenged absentee ballot envelopes will play out, as they are currently being kept out of the count -- including the vote of U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. The ruling yesterday by Judge James V. Brands means that the vast majority of these challenges will be rejected out of hand, and the envelopes will be opened and the votes counted.
The numbers from Columbia County, for example, show that there have been 249 ballots challenged by the Tedisco campaign, compared to only 22 from Murphy. There are 740 challenges in the Tedisco stronghold of Saratoga County, but it's not been publicly disclosed what the breakdown is of who challenged how many ballots.
Overall, it seems like more ballots were challenged by the Tedisco camp across the district than were challenged by Murphy. And since a basic assumption is that a ballot that gets challenged is believed to be a vote for the other guy, this would mean that Murphy could gain a little bit when the votes are counted, assuming that more ballots were indeed challenged by Tedisco.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
New York Case Law Says Gillibrand's Ballot Is Valid -- Even If GOP Claim Is True
Here's a fun footnote to the Tedisco campaign's challenge of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's absentee ballot in the special election for her old House seat. It turns out that even if the GOP's reason for objecting to the ballot is true, the governing case law in New York says the ballot still should be counted.
The issue here is that New York requires absentee voters to have a good reason to vote this way rather than on Election Day -- in this case, Gillibrand planned to be outside of her home in Columbia County, voting at the Senate in Washington. But the GOP claims she was in the district anyway, seemingly rendering her excuse for a ballot null -- that she should have gone to the polls to cast her vote there, they say.
Gillibrand spokesman Matt Canter says she was not in the district at all on Election Day, but only arrived that night after the polls closed. This can get a bit confusing, so pay close attention: Gillibrand started the day in Albany (outside the district), went down to Washington to cast votes as she'd intended (and it turned out she missed the votes, arriving after they were held), then travelled to the district, arriving after the polls had closed to attend Murphy's Election Night party.
But what if she really was in the district? It turns out she's still covered, provided that she'd honestly expected to be out of her county, and things just worked out differently.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
After Tedisco Stronghold Reports Totals, Murphy Still Ahead By 86 Votes
The latest state numbers from the NY-20 special election show Democratic candidate Scott Murphy leading Republican Jim Tedisco by 86 votes, a margin of 0.054%, as the progression of the count and the legal developments are making a Murphy win seem more and more likely.
The big news here is that this is after the initial absentee numbers have come in from the Tedisco stronghold of Saratoga County, with Tedisco only picking up a net 163 votes, out of 1,181 -- seemingly bad news for him, considering he needed something more substantial here. On the other hand, it turns out there are 740 challenged ballots in this county, and it's not clear right now what the actual makeup of these are, in terms of how many were challenged by each campaign.
Combined with other county absentee results, Murphy is still ahead by 86 votes -- and that's with more ballots to come in the pro-Murphy Columbia and Warren counties, where his lead is likely to extend further.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Murphy Leads By 168 Votes, As Absentees Come In Strong
The latest absentee ballot count in the NY-20 special election is looking very good for Democratic candidate Scott Murphy, with his lead now at 168 votes as new results have come in from the pro-Murphy counties of Columbia, Dutchess and Warren, compared to a 47-vote lead at the close of business yesterday.
We're seeing a continuation of the trend of Murphy doing even better in the percentage of the absentee vote in a given county, compared to the Election Night vote. Some examples of what I mean: Murphy won Dutchess County with 51.5% on Election Night, but in the portion of absentees counted so far he has 54.0%. And although Murphy got only 44.4% of the Election Night vote in Greene County, he's at 48.3% in their absentees, ahead of the baseline.
Only one county, Otsego, has proven to be an exception to this rule. But it only cast about two percent of the total absentees, and is more than outweighed by the trend in other counties.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Gillibrand: Republicans Have 'Stooped To A New Low' Challenging My Ballot
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has now published an op-ed piece lambasting the campaign of GOP candidate Jim Tedisco, for challenging her absentee ballot and keeping it out of the count for now in the special election for her old House seat:
Today the Republicans stooped to a new low by challenging my ballot. The Republican's challenge is frivolous and without merit.
...
Their latest move to challenge my ballot is part of a much larger attempt to disenfranchise legal Democratic voters and delay Scott Murphy's inevitable victory in the 20th.
National Republicans are trying to turn the 20th District of New York into the next Minnesota. It is wrong.
The reason Gillibrand's ballot is being challenged is that the Republicans allege she was in her home county on Election Day, and thus wasn't legally qualified to vote absentee and should have gone to the polls. Gillibrand spokesman Matt Canter told TPM that Gillibrand was in Albany that day, and was never in the district at all.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
The Latest From NY-20: Murphy Up By 56 Votes, Amid Ballot Challenges Galore
Here's some of the latest news from the still up in the air NY-20 special election:
• The latest numbers from the state show Democratic candidate Scott Murphy leading Republican Jim Tedisco by 56 votes, up from yesterday's margin of 25 votes, as more absentees start coming in from the pro-Murphy areas of Columbia County and Warren County.
• And speaking of those counties, they have been some of the prime areas where the Tedisco campaign has been keeping absentees ballots out of the count, by challenging the eligibility of voters who maintain multiple homes. A Murphy representative has also alleged that the Tedisco campaign is targeting voters for not just being registered Democrats, but on ethnicity: "Cohen, Pollack, Rosegarten, Winakor -- there's a pattern: they're Democrats and they're Jewish."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Judge Briefly Hospitalized, Legal Proceedings On Hold In NY-20
The NY-20 special election's litigation was put on hold today, when the scheduled court proceedings were delayed due to Judge James V. Brands being hospitalized and undergoing tests.
Senior court clerk Karen Bitonte told TPM that Judge Brands expects to be back in his chambers tomorrow, and court will resume on Wednesday. In Judge Brands' absence, the lawyers for both sides spoke to Brands' clerk. "The lawyers voiced their concerns to the judge's law clerk, and she was going to take them to the judge," Bitonte explained.
One outstanding issue here is whether the campaign of GOP candidate Jim Tedisco can successfully challenge certain absentee voters who maintain two addresses -- voting in the district, but having driver's licenses in New York City or elsewhere. If Tedisco were to be turned down in all or most examples, that would likely result in a pickup of as many as 100 votes for Democrat Scott Murphy.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Murphy Now Leads By 25 Votes
The latest official score in the NY-20 special election how has Democratic candidate Scott Murphy ahead of Republican Jim Tedisco by 25 votes, or 0.016%, as the absentees continue to be counted.
Murphy led by 35 on Friday, but the lead has now been cut slightly as the absentee votes were counted in the Tedisco stronghold of Greene County. However, it should be noted that while Tedisco won the absentee ballots here by 52.6%-47.4%, he won the Election Night vote here by 55.6%-44.4% -- so Murphy in fact performed above the baseline here, as he has in most of the other counties that have reported their absentees so far.
We're all still waiting for the Tedisco stronghold of Saratoga County and the Murphy bastion of Washington County to start reporting their absentees, as well as more votes from pro-Murphy Warren County, which just began counting some precincts on Friday, plus the military and overseas ballots that are due back in the mail today under an extended deadline. And as I've previously reported, the number is currently distorted by ballot challenges that appear to have kept a disproportionate number of Murphy votes out of the count. We'll see what happens.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Murphy Currently Ahead By 35 Votes -- Plus More Fun With Ballot Challenges
The latest official numbers from NY-20 now show that Democrat Scott Murphy is currently ahead by 35 votes, as he picks up votes in the absentees that have so far made up for his 68-vote deficit in the Election Day machine counts.
Here's where it gets fun: In Warren County, a Murphy stronghold that overall went 55.8%-44.2% for him on Election Night, Tedisco has technically picked up four votes, 34-30, with six out of 70 precincts' absentees counted. However, as county Democratic Party chairman Bill Montfort (who is also a county election official) told me, the Tedisco campaign has challenged about 20 ballots, out of around 25 total challenges, keeping those votes out of the count for now.
"I would just think that once it's decided that these should be counted," said Montfort, "then Murphy is gonna pick up 20."
In these individual precincts, Murphy won by 51.5%-48.5% on Election Night, compared to a Tedisco edge of 53.1%-46.9% in the ballots so far. But if we added 20 votes to Murphy and five to Tedisco, we get a Murphy edge of 50-39, or 56.2%-43.8%, ahead of the curve for these precincts.
As I reported today, the ballot challenges going on here -- and thus far, significantly more of them have come from the Republicans, trying to keep Dem votes out -- could be seriously distorting the final result, if most of the challenges are ultimately withdrawn or overruled.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
NY-20: Ballot Challenge-O-Rama
After digging in deeper on the numbers for the NY-20 absentee ballots, it really looks like Democratic candidate Scott Murphy could have a whole batch of votes for himself that are being kept out of the count -- but for which at least some of them could very well get back in -- due to ballot challenges from the Tedisco campaign and the GOP.
The issue here is that the campaigns have the ability to challenge the unopened ballot envelopes, claiming a problem in how they were filled out, the eligibility of the voter, etc. These envelopes are then set aside until they can be resolved later by the judge presiding over this election (Judge James V. Brands of Dutchess County).
An attorney volunteering on the Tedisco campaign told the Hudson Register-Star that the campaign is getting the most mileage out of challenging voters with multiples residencies -- specifically, folks who were registered in the 20th District, but whose driver's licenses have New York City addresses.
And as Dutchess County deputy Democratic election commissioner Dan French bluntly told us: "A lot of the campaigns have actually called these people, and sometimes they know if it's a Democratic or Republican ballot -- or they think they know."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Murphy Ahead By 49 Votes (Right Now) 46 Votes
The latest score in NY-20 shows that Democrat Scott Murphy is currently ahead in this nail-biter of a result -- but if GOPer Jim Tedisco doesn't like it, he could just wait 15 minutes.
The official state results show that Murphy has taken an eight-vote lead as of 4:30 p.m. ET yesterday, as absentee ballots begin to be counted. However, there is some more recent data that shows Murphy's lead is actually somewhat larger at the moment.
Columbia County has provided their latest numbers to TPM, showing Murphy picking up another 15 net votes, on a 99-42 margin, compared to the 55-13 in the state's current tally of absentees from here. In addition, the Albany Times Union reports that Murphy has picked up 26 votes, an 88-62 margin, in Essex County.
So as of right now, Scott Murphy leads by 49 votes -- though there are still plenty of ballots left to count. (Late Update: Murphy's newest lead is 46 votes.)
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Tedisco Ahead Right Now, But Early Absentee Numbers Painting Good Picture For Murphy (For Now)
A few more data points are coming in from NY-20 -- not nearly enough to give us a definite answer as to who won this thing, but definitely something to chew over. So far, the answer for Democratic candidate Scott Murphy is a definite maybe.
On the one hand, the machine recanvass is now completed in the state's official numbers, with Scott Murphy having lost some more votes and Jim Tedisco gaining. That's right -- it looks like Tedisco actually won the machine count on Election Night by 68 votes, not Murphy and his original 65-vote margin, but it took us this long to find out.
On the other hand, early hints coming in are that the absentees look quite nice for Murphy -- enough that he could very well win the race, after the nearly 7,000 absentees are counted. Some further numbers and analysis, after the jump.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
The Latest Score In NY-20: Unknown
And the latest official numbers in NY-20 are...pretty much the same as yesterday, with Republican candidate Jim Tedisco leading by 17 votes. But really, at this point that number is obsolete, as absentee ballots are being counted and not yet reported -- we don't know what's going on.
Only one change has been officially registered since yesterday, with both Tedisco and Democratic candidate Scott Murphy gaining one vote each in Essex County, not affecting the margin. Only one county is left that hasn't sent recanvassed machine totals to the state, Greene County. And as a State Elections Board spokesman explained to us, we won't know exactly what the recanvass there will produce because Greene is recanvassing while simultaneously counting their absentee ballots, thus jumbling those numbers together when they do arrive.
And here's where it gets complicated. The Murphy campaign just put out a press release declaring that Delaware County has completely counted their absentees, the first county to do so, and Murphy has netted 20 votes. (The folks at the county appear to have gone home, as nobody is answering the phone.) These numbers are not in the state's totals right now.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
Roger Stone Spotted In NY-20, Says He Was Visiting Family And Friends
GOP strategist Roger Stone has been spotted in New York's 20th Congressional District, raising suspicions on the liberal blog the Albany Project that the well-known GOP operative is up to no good in the ongoing NY-20 vote count.
Stone, however, told the New York Daily News that he was simply visiting family and friends:
"My parents still live in Northern Westchester." Stone wrote. "I visited them at the end of last week and then drove up to the Albany area to see some friends...I certainly have no formal role in the recount. I have many friends of long standing who are involved."
When asked for further clarification by TPM, Stone referred back to his Daily News comment. But he did add: "I am highly confident Tedisco will win when the count is done."
The Tedisco campaign also told the Albany Times Union that they have had no contact with Stone, and he is not affiliated with them "in any capacity."
Stone is a colorful character, to say the least. For example, he has a tattoo of Richard Nixon on his back. (pdf)
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: NY-20
NY-20
NY-20 Absentee Counting To Begin -- Very Slowly
The counting of the absentee ballots is set to begin today in the NY-20 special election, where Republican candidate Jim Tedisco and Democrat Scott Murphy are in a near-tie that now hinges on the nearly 7,000 absentees. But as it turns out, we shouldn't expect a quick verdict.
Whether the counting processes would happen at all had been the subject of some litigation on Monday, with the Tedisco campaign arguing that the counties should wait until April 13, the final deadline for all the military and overseas ballots to arrive in the mail under an extension that had been worked out with the federal Justice Department. But a judge sided with the Murphy camp, ruling that the counting should commence right after the deadline for all the other absentees had passed, which occurred yesterday.
The counties are now going through the process of identifying the ballots and approving them for opening, which should be a time-consuming process. For example, Washington County's deputy Republican commissioner Linda Falkouski explained to TPM that the county probably won't actually count any ballots today.
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NY-20
Tedisco Up By 17 For Now
The latest results from the NY-20 special election now have Republican candidate Jim Tedisco up by 17 votes, out of over 150,000 votes.
Yesterday, Democrat Scott Murphy had been ahead by 83 votes, but that has now shifted -- an official at Saratoga County told PolitickerNY that they caught a mistake in their spreadsheet, having accidentally dropped 100 votes for Tedisco.
One county, Greene, told TPM today that they still haven't re-checked their totals, which should be done tomorrow.
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NY-20
Leader In NY-20 Is Murphy Tedisco Murphy!
And the count just keeps getting crazier in NY-20, with Democrat Scott Murphy now on the top end of this see-saw result.
The state's latest official results put Republican candidate Jim Tedisco ahead by 97 votes, as the counties have double-checked their spreadsheets. But now the latest numbers from Washington County give Murphy a 180-vote pickup compared to the state's figures, for an overall lead of 83 votes.
The numbers were first reported by PolitickerNY, and confirmed to TPM by the county.
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NY-20
Tedisco Currently Ahead; Judge Rules Against His Effort To Delay Counting Absentees
The latest numbers have been posted in the NY-20 special election, with Republican candidate Jim Tedisco ahead by 97 votes, as the counties go through the process of correcting errors in their spreadsheets.
Democratic candidate Scott Murphy had ended Election Night up by 65 votes, but the numbers have swung around since then. The state's official numbers from Friday had shown an exact tie, with Murphy then picking up votes in one county later in the day and another as of today. But obviously, Tedisco has made up the difference somewhere else.
This doesn't include any of the nearly 7,000 absentee ballots that have been returned so far, though, which brings us to the next piece of news: Dutchess County Judge James V. Brands has handed down an order that absentee ballots other than the military and overseas votes are to be counted on Wednesday, ruling against Tedisco's efforts to delay the count.
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NY-20
Murphy Picking Up More Votes For Now
I have just obtained the latest vote numbers in the NY-20 race from Saratoga County, where the campaign of GOP candidate Jim Tedisco claimed on Friday that an unreported discovery of new votes was giving him a pickup of 228, and putting him ahead overall by 30 raw votes. Whether or not that was true at the time, it turns out that as of 10:30 a.m. this morning it's actually the opposite, with Democrat Scott Murphy picking up votes in this county for now.
The numbers provided by a county election commissioner show Murphy picking up a net 97 votes when compared to the state's most recent figures from Friday, as the precincts go through the standard process of proofreading their spreadsheets against the random human errors that occurred on Election Night. These errors tend to be very small and break about evenly, but in a race this close they have suddenly become consequential.
The state could update their numbers for all the counties later this afternoon, so it's worth remembering a piece of wisdom I learned during my six years living in Wisconsin: If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes. For all we know, those Saratoga numbers might have significantly changed yet again, or a different county could have a bunch of newly-revealed votes for either Tedisco or Murphy.
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NY-20
The Next Question In NY-20: When To Count The Absentee Votes
A court in Dutchess County, New York, met this morning and heard arguments on the most immediate legal issue in the NY-20 special election: When to count the several-thousand absentee ballots that will decide this race. An order could come as soon as today.
The issue here is that all absentee ballots would have normally been counted at the same time Wednesday, after the deadline for them to arrive in the mail. However, the state had entered into a consent decree with the Justice Department shortly before the election, extending the deadline for military and overseas ballots to arrive by April 13.
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NY-20
Murphy Picks Up 198 Votes As County Fixes Errors -- Tedisco Camp Claims More On The Way
A few moments ago we posted that the state's totals in NY-20 showed Democrat Scott Murphy and Republican Jim Tedisco were exactly tied, at 77,225 votes each. But no longer -- in the latest numbers from one county, Scott Murphy has picked up a net 198 votes.
The Albany Project first reported that Murphy had picked up the votes in Washington County, and I have now confirmed it with Donna English, the Republican election commissioner in the county. (Counties in New York have both Dem and GOP election commissioners, working together.)
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NY-20
The Current Numbers In NY-20: A Tie!!!
And the current leader in NY-20 is...nobody. It's a tie!
The Schenectady Daily Gazette reports that the numbers right now, as the counties go through the standard procedure of proofreading their spreadsheets, are 77,225 votes for Democrat Scott Murphy, to 77,225 votes for Republican Jim Tedisco.
Murphy led by 65 votes on election night, then 25 votes Wednesday afternoon, and Tedisco might have taken a small lead yesterday. The numbers are still in flux, as some counties are still checking everything out -- who knows, these numbers could even be out of date right now, minutes after it was reported.
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NY-20
DCCC E-Mail: GOP Accuses Us Of Trying To Steal NY-20 -- After They Stole The Presidency In 2000
DCCC has sent out another fundraising e-mail, responding to an NRCC e-mail that claimed Dems were trying to "pull a Franken" and steal the NY-20 special election.
The new e-mail, authored by Paul Begala, takes the form of forwarding the original NRCC e-mail -- though with the links to the NRCC's donation page disabled, of course -- and marveling at the accusation:
Yup. The same party that stole an entire Presidential election in 2000 and is right now still trying to steal a Senate race in Minnesota just sent this outrageous e-mail to their supporters. They're accusing us of trying to steal the too-close-to-call special election in New York's 20th District, even though Democratic candidate Scott Murphy led the vote count on Election Night!
I just had to forward their e-mail so you can see what we're up against. Read it below!
It's possible that Republican Jim Tedisco may have actually taken a lead, as the counties are going through the standard process of correcting initial errors in their spreadsheets -- and again, this doesn't include any absentee ballots. But at the time the NRCC sent out that accusation that Dems were trying to steal it, Democrat Scott Murphy was in fact ahead in all available counts.
Check out the full Begala e-mail, after the jump.
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