The Results Of The Special Congressional Election In Local Towns
by David Flint
The special election in the 20th Congressional District is too close to call with Scott Murphy leading by only 59 votes. District-wide it’s 77,344 votes for Murphy and 77,285 for Jim Tedisco. Absentee ballots won’t be counted until mid-April.
The picture is similar in the local Counties and in the Eastwick area as well. Tedisco has 52% of the votes in Rensselaer County. Murphy did better in Washington and Columbia Counties, where he is ahead in both places by 56%.
The race in the Eastwick towns is also close. With 3,938 voters turning out in the five towns in eastern Rensselaer County plus New Lebanon in Columbia County, Murphy leads by 178 votes. His largest margin is in New Lebanon with 60%, followed by Stephentown which has been tilting a bit toward the Democratic side lately. In this formerly solidly Republican town the count was 374 for Murphy, 286 for Tedisco, giving Murphy a 57% margin. Murphy leads also in Hoosick with 54% of the vote.
In the other Eastwick towns Tedisco has the lead with 58% in Berlin and 54% in both Grafton and Petersburgh.
Special Election – 20th Congressional District – March 31, 2009
Scott Murphy Jim Tedisco
Berlin 158 42.2% 216 57.8%
Grafton 258 45.7% 307 54.3%
Hoosick 804 53.9% 689 46.1%
Petersburgh 154 46.5% 177 53.5%
Stephentown 374 56.7% 286 43.3%
New Lebanon 310 60.2% 205 39.8%
Eastwick Total 2,058 52.3% 1,880 47.7%
Rensselaer County 7,576 48.5% 8,035 51.5%
Columbia County 8,459 56.3% 6,560 43.7%