N.Y. congressional test: Obama's win

[jefferson_dem]

N.Y. congressional test: Obama's win
by Mark Silva and updated

In the quiet knolls of the upper Hudson River Valley where a nationally contested election played out, the contest for the vacated seat of a congressman in a district that had voted Republican for some time was painted as a test of President Barack Obama's agenda.

If that was the test, Obama has won.

There's one winner, for sure: Democrat Scott Murphy, who today claimed victory in the 20th Congressional District of New York, whose incumbent left to assume, by appointment of the governor, the former Senate seat of Hillary Rodham Clinton, now secretary of state for Obama.

Jim Tedisco, the Republican contender for the seat of now-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, conceded defeat today in a contest that ended so close that it took weeks to recount it.

The Republican Party had flooded the market with negative campaign ads tying Murphy to the Obama agenda and the Wall Street meltdown -- and the Obama agenda has won. The Democrats will be popping corks in the old Tin 'n Lint in Saratoga tonight.

"I'd like to thank President Obama and Vice President Biden for supporting my campaign and for their inspiring leadership for our country,'' Murphy said today.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who campaigned for Tedisco in the district, said: The Republican Party must be competitive in districts like NY-20 if we are going to regain our congressional majorities. While we were unsuccessful in this race, the combined efforts of our candidate, the national and state parties and NRCC show that the GOP is going to invest the resources necessary to regain our majority in the U.S. House of Representatives."

I can't wait to start working with the president to deliver the urgently needed recovery funds to Upstate New York,'' Murphy said. "I look forward to rolling up my sleeves in Washington to bring jobs, opportunity, and prosperity back to Upstate New York."

<SNIP>

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/04/ny_congressional_test_obamas_w.html

[Muttocracy]

1. Sweet! Can we get rid of Rep. Lee in 2010? nt

[bluestateguy]

2. I wonder how Michael Barone is going to make excuses out of this one

Should make for an interesting writeup in the Almanac of American Politics.

[Cha]

3. Rec'd~ This is a great article

on Scott's win! I feel like know him even though he's not in my district(I'm in 24)..but close enough by.

I just saw him interviewed on local tv and he was so Happy..he's going out to celebrate with his fam tonight at Pizzaria Uno and then get to work, manana.