This is the occasional post where I laud a Republican for having some class.
Being behind by 399 votes shortly before the finish of the recount in a special election to fill an open house seat in New York state, Jim Tedisco conceded about an hour ago. Democrat Scott Murphy will represent the 20th district of New York in Congress. Tedisco had started the race out with a 20 point lead over Murphy in the polls but was hurt by his failure at first to say and then saying he would have voted against the President's stimulus plan while Murphy said up front that he supported it. Having made up twenty points on the specific issue of the stimulus, Murphy's win shows that Republicans run against President Obama's economic plans at their own peril.
UPDATE: the recount has been completed and it shows that Tedisco lost by 401 votes.
Recall that in 2004 in Washington state, Dino Rossi dragged the governor's race through the court system for months before he was forced to give it up. So he ran in a rematch last year against Governor Gregoire largely on an 'I-wuz-robbed' platform, and voters had had enough by then of Dino Rossi and he lost big (no recount necessary.)
Tedisco, on the other hand probably gains something with the voters for recognizing that he wasn't going to win and walking away instead of dragging it through the courts.
Somebody ought to tell Norm Coleman.
As Chris Matthews has been wont to say as of late, I get a chill right up my leg when I think that the Reagan Democrats and even some moderate Republicans (there must still be some of them out there?) have finally seen the light.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to our newest Democratic Congressman from New York.
The outcome of the Coleman-Franken race has more of an impact on the balance of power in Congress than the Murphy-Tedisco race (which had none) which is why both sides have fought tooth and nail for victory there.
ReplyDeleteIf the NY-20 race determined whether Pelosi or Boehner became Speaker then you can bet your bottom dollar Tedisco wouldn't have conceded after only a month.