NY Election Seen as Early Referendum

Email urges area activists to support Scott Murphy for Congress

(NEWSER) - For the first time since his swearing-in, President Obama is getting involved in a campaign. The Huffington Post reports that Obama has sent out an email to about 50,000 people in and around New York’s 20th congressional district, urging them to elect Democrat Scott Murphy. “To restore our economy and build a foundation for lasting prosperity, I'll need Scott's help,” reads the message. More»

(NEWSER) - The fight for Kirsten Gillibrand’s House seat is over, the Albany Times Union reports. Republican candidate Jim Tedisco conceded the race to Democrat Scott Murphy this afternoon, more than 3 weeks after the election. “Ultimately, it became clear that the numbers were not going our way,” Tedisco said. “The time had come to step aside and ensure that the next congressman be seated as quickly as possible.” More»

GOP quiet on legal challenges; Tedisco may concede today

(NEWSER) - The special election in New York’s 20th congressional district looks like it won’t go the way of the Minnesota Senate vote, with recounts, lawsuits, and ballot challenges, Politico reports. Republican Jim Tedisco may concede as soon as today to Democrat Scott Murphy, who holds a 401-vote lead with 761 to be counted. More»

Challenges could drag out NY House race

(NEWSER) - James Tedisco has officially asked a New York court to declare him the winner of the 20th Congressional District race even though he’s behind in the vote count, the Register-Star of Hudson, NY, reports. With every vote tallied except challenged ballots, Scott Murphy leads Tedisco by 178 votes. But Tedisco is also asking the court to recanvass all voting machines, reassess already-counted absentee ballots, and keep challenged ballots unopened, moves the election commissioner says will drag out the race. More»

Tedisco challenges Gillibrand's own ballot, and he's still doomed

(NEWSER) - Jim Tedisco is doing everything in the book to try to drag out the race to replace Kirsten Gillibrand in Congress—including challenging the new US senator's own ballot—but he's doomed to failure, writes Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com. Democrat Scott Murphy has received 53% of the absentee ballots counted so far, and he's drawing more support among absentees than he did among general voters. Using regressive analysis, Silver puts Tedisco's odds of victory at 500-1. More»