#GOP big leads Democratic incumbent in NY state Senate race
“#GOP big leads Democratic incumbent in NY state Senate race”
The former Westchester County executive received 53 percent of the ballots cast during early voting and on Election Day, compared to Harckham’s 47 percent, with just 25 percent of election districts reporting to the state Board of Elections as of 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The final results of the race for the 40th state Senate district, which includes vast swaths of Westchester and Dutchess counties, will likely not be known for days.
Across the state, more than 2.5 million New Yorkers cast absentee ballots for the November races, skipping the polls and potential exposure to the coronavirus as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage.
State election officials were not able to immediately provide the number of ballots mailed out or returned so far in the district.
By state law, absentee ballots cannot be tallied until after Election Day.
The two men spent months duking it out over the state’s controversial criminal justice reforms that nixed bail requirements for misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, which was passed as part of the sprawling 2019 budget deal inked by Democratic Party leadership in Albany.
Republicans and law enforcement officials have repeatedly tried to link New York City’s summer shooting surge to the changes, though the NYPD’s own stats undercut their argument.
Supporters of nixing bail argue the provisions were frequently used to stick poor defendants in jail and pressure them into taking pleas, while wealthy New Yorkers could remain free while awaiting trial.
Harckham argued that he helped push through tweaks to the bail overhaul favored by prosecutors and other moderate Democrats that restored bail requirements for sex trafficking, money laundering in support of terrorism, possession of a weapon on school grounds, vehicular assault in the first degree and any crime that proves fatal.
The Hudson Valley duel is one of eight likely competitive state Senate races across New York, political observers say.
Democrats currently hold three of those seats and are gunning to win at least two districts currently represented by Republicans — in an effort to secure a veto-proof, 42-seat majority in the 63-member chamber.
But, they’ve often faced a flood of money and opposition from police unions and makeup magnate Ron Lauder challenging Democratic incumbents and candidates over the bail measures.
The other competitive races include:
- 3rd District (Suffolk): Democratic state Sen. Monica Martinez was down 14 percentage points against Republican Alexis Weik, with 99 percent reporting;
- 6th District (Nassau): Democratic state Sen. Kevin Thomas faces a 7-percentage-point deficit against Republican Dennis Dunne, with 64 reporting;
- 22nd District (Brooklyn): Another first-term Democrat, state Sen. Andrew Gounardes is down 8 percentage points against Republican challenger Vito Bruno, with 97 percent;
- 41st District (Dutchess): Incumbent Republican lawmaker Sue Serino beat Democratic contender Karen Smythe by 16 percentage points, 99 percent;
- 46th District (Hudson Valley): Republican Rich Amedure led Democrat Michelle Hinchey — daughter of former Congressman Maurice Hinchey — by 7 percentage points in the race to replace exiting Republican state Sen. George Amedore, with 100 percent reporting.
- 50th District (Syracuse): Republican Angi Renna led Democrat John Mannion by 7 percentage points in the race to replace departed Republican state Sen. Bob Antonacci, with 100 percent reporting.
- 60th District (Buffalo): Republican Joshua Nertzlufft leads Democratic Assemblyman Sean Ryan by just four percentage points, with 97 percent reporting. They are both seeking to replace Republican state Sen. Chris Jacobs, who ran for Congress.
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