Skoufis and Miller claim re-election, Martucci scores upset

By Connor Linskey
Posted 11/4/20

            As votes were still being counted across the nation on Wednesday, the Hudson Valley was awash in red after Tuesdays state and local …

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Skoufis and Miller claim re-election, Martucci scores upset

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            As votes were still being counted across the nation on Wednesday, the Hudson Valley was awash in red after Tuesday's state and local elections, with Republicans sweeping to victory in the majority of races

      Steve Brescia was one of the few Republicans who failed to turn the tide, in his bid to unseat incumbent State Senator James Skoufis in the 39th District. Unofficial results as of Wednesday morning gave Skoufis (D/WFP/SAM 41,861 votes, equating to 53.81 percent of the vote total. Challenger Steve Brescia (R/C) had 35,874 votes, good for 46.11 percent. Write-in candidates had 0.07 percent of the vote, gaining 58 votes.

      At 10:41 a.m. on Wednesday, Skoufis claimed victory.

    “With all election day and in-person early vote numbers in, we have comfortably won re-election,” he said. “Once absentee ballots are counted, which are 2-1 Democratic, we expect to win with a margin at or near 10 percent despite President Trump seemingly prevailing in our senate district, a reflection of our strong bipartisan support.”

            Skoufis, elected to his second term in the senate, thanked his supporters.

“First and foremost, I thank the phenomenal people of our Senate District for continuing to place their faith in me. It means the world and I don't take it lightly. I also thank my tireless campaign team and all of our volunteers for their outstanding work in making this resounding victory possible,” he said. “Finally, while our opponent has not reached out - as is tradition - I wish him well.”

Brescia could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Martucci claims victory over Metzger

    In the 42nd State Senate District race, challenger Mike Martucci (R/C/I) led the way with 31,040 votes (56.2 percent). Incumbent Jen Metzger (D/WFP/SAM) trailed Martucci, as she had received only 24,173 votes (43.77 percent). Write-in candidates earned 18 votes, good for 0.03 percent of the vote total.

    At 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Martucci claimed victory.

    “The voters have spoken, and they have embraced my Families First agenda that is rooted in public safety and investing in our district instead of pouring endless resources into New York City. The voters responded and they overwhelmingly rejected the policies pursued and championed by Senator Metzger such as bail elimination, single payer healthcare, high taxes and ruinous regulations,” said Martucci, owner of Quality Bus Company.  “I pledge to always be a voice for the constituents of the 42nd Senate District because I speak their language and have walked in their shoes. I will never forget the community that helped make me the person I am today, and I will always endeavor to use my office to improve the lives of my neighbors and their families. I am tremendously honored by the faith the voters have placed in me and will begin working immediately with Senator Metzger to effect an orderly transition.”

    Though Martucci believes the margin to be insurmountable, Metzger, who was seeking her second term, was not willing to concede.

    It has been my joy and honor to serve the 42nd Senate District over the last two years. It’s so important that we make sure every vote is counted,” she said.  “There are about 25,000 absentee ballots to count, and we know that they are overwhelmingly from Democratic voters. We expect the process of counting absentees to be an orderly process that will take several weeks, and we will patiently await the final results. I hope to have the opportunity to continue to fight for the communities I represent."

Miller re-elected in 101st Assembly District

      Incumbent Brian Miller (R/C/I) had a big lead in the Assembly 101st District race. He had 7,775 votes (62.45 percent). Challenger Chad McEvoy (D/WFP) had 4,442 votes (35.68 percent) and Barbara Kidney (G) had only 230 votes (1.85 percent). Write-in candidates received three votes (0.02 percent).

       Miller’s campaign announced victory Tuesday night. At the time of the announcement, Miller was up by 30 percent.

      “This has truly been a trying year and I am grateful we are in a position we are in as we cross the finish line,” Miller said. “My battle with COVID-19 was difficult. It kept me away from my family for more than a month and it shut down my ability to campaign for months. Getting out and speaking with the voters is, for me, the most enjoyable part of campaigning and we really didn’t get to do that as much as we liked. We had to use other means to connect with voters this year and I believe we worked very hard at that and we were very effective. I’d like to thank everyone for their support this year with both my battle with COVID-19 and with my re-election campaign. Your support has meant everything to me and my family and it is an honor to represent you for another term.”

      Miller defeated Chad McEvoy by 18 percent of the vote in the 2018 race for the 101st Assembly District seat. This year’s result nearly doubled the margin of victory for Miller over McEvoy.

     Neither McEvoy nor Kidney could be reached for comment on Wednesday

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