Dem Creeps Ahead in NY Congress Race

(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»

(NEWSER) - Republicans are rallying donors behind Jim Tedisco in preparation for a possible legal battle over the results of yesterday’s US House election in upstate New York, the Hill reports. In an email to donors today, GOP leaders say Democrats are preparing to “steal” the seat. Democratic candidate Jim Murphy leads the race to succeed Kirsten Gillibrand by 59 votes, but no absentee ballots have been counted. 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»