GHENT–Kinderhook Republican John Faso defeated Democrat Zephyr Teachout of Dover Plains in the race for the 19th Congressional District. Mr. Faso will replace Rep. Chris Gibson, also of Kinderhook, who did not seek reelection.
In Columbia County, with all districts reporting, the unofficial figures show Mr. Faso led Ms. Teachout by 14,418 to 12,235 votes. All of Columbia County is in the 19th District, but this is only one of the 11 counties in the district. With all but 5 of 614 polling sites reporting, The Times Union reported Wednesday that Mr. Faso won the race districtwide by a 10 percentage point margin, 55% to 45%.
Mr. Faso, who celebrated his victory at American Glory restaurant in Hudson, issued a statement late Tuesday night congratulating Ms. Teachout for waging “a hard fought race that was closely watched… by people all over the nation.” He said people in his district had told him, “They’re tired of gridlock, games and the 24-hour spin cycle and punditry. To those people, I say, I hear you loud and clear.”
Mr. Faso, the former minority leader of the state Assembly, said in the statement that the turnout showed that voters “demand that we put aside our partisan impulses and work for the common good of all. That is what I plan to do and I will need your help and your prayers to make sure we do the right things. Our best days are ahead of us.”
As the unofficial results were still coming in from around the district Tuesday night, Ms. Teachout issued a statement focused on the money spent to defeat her, saying, “I am so incredibly proud of this campaign. We gave the billionaires trying to buy our elections a real run for their money….”
In one of the two contested municipal races in the county, Valatie Trustee Phillip Bickerton, a Republican, won a seat on the Kinderhook Town board, beating Matthew Nelson, a Democrat, 2,337 to 1,761.
In the other municipal race, Chatham incumbent Town Board member John Wapner, an independent running on the Democratic line, was elected to the seat on the board that he had been appointed to earlier this year. He beat Republican challenger Jody Nesbitt by 1088 to 943 in the unofficial tally.
In Columbia County incumbent Republican state Senator Kathy Marchione easily turned back a challenge from Democrat Shaun Francis in the race for the 43rd Senate District seat. Mrs. Marchione’s unofficial total in Columbia County was 15,064, with Mr. Francis receiving 10,351. Green Party candidate Joseph Levy got 559 votes in the county.
The more populous areas of the district are in Rensselaer and Saratoga counties and the Times Union reports that districtwide she received 62% of the vote compared to 36% for Mr. Francis.
The only contested race for the state Assembly among the three districts that reach into Columbia County, incumbent Democrat Didi Barrett won reelection in the 106th District by a comfortable margin of around 56%, according to the Times Union, in her race against Copake Councilwoman Dr. Terry Sullivan. The county figures show that here Ms. Barrett had 9,630 votes to 6,430 for Dr. Sullivan.
All four of the ballot propositions in communities around the county were resoundingly approved by voters Tuesday. Increases in funding for the Kinderhook Memorial Library were approved in the Towns of Kinderhook and Stuyvesant, and Hudson voters gave their approval for a service award program for volunteer firefighters and for an amendment to city ward boundaries that will eliminate the weighted voting method for members of the Common Council and replace it with each member having one vote.
Hillary Clinton won the state by a wide margin and she carried the county but only narrowly based on the unofficial count. She received 13,123 votes to 12,756 for Donald Trump. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson received 839 votes in the election night unofficial tally and Green Party candidate Jill Stein received 537.
Incumbent U.S. Senator Charles Schumer cruised to victory in the county and statewide in his second match-up against Republican Wendy Long. The voting machine totals here were 16,560 for Mr. Schumer and 9,286 for Ms. Long.
A number of candidates were on the ballot but ran unopposed this year, including Assemblymen Peter Lopez (R-102nd) and Steven McLaughlin R-107th).
For more detailed information on the races in the county, go the Columbia County Board of Elections website, https://sites.google.com/a/columbiacountyny.com/elections/home-1
To contact editor Parry Teasdale email
COLUMBIA COUNTY UNOFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS
(All Columbia County results are preliminary and only report the machine tallies of votes cast Tuesday, November 8.)
PRESIDENT
DONALD TRUMP: 12,756
HILLARY CLINTON: 13,123
JILL STEIN: 537
GARY JOHNSON: 839
US SENATOR
CHARLES SHUMER: 16,560
WENDY LONG: 9,286
ROBIN LAVERNE WILSON: 496
ALEX MERCED: 221
CONGRESS NY-19
ZEPHYR TEACHOUT: 12,235
JOHN FASO: 14,418
NYS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
ANDREW CERESIA: 22,910
MICHAEL MACKEY: 22,314
NYS SENATE:
KATHLEEN MARCHIONE: 15,064
SHAUN FRANCIS: 10,351
NYS ASSEMBLY 102
PETER LOPEZ: 1,460
NYS ASSEMBLY 106
DIDI BARRETT: 9,630
TERRY SULLIVAN: 6,430
NYS ASSEMBLY 107
STEVE MCLAUGHLIN: 6,501
TOWN COUNCIL – CHATHAM
JODY NESBITT: 943
JOHN WAPNER: 1,080
TOWN COUNCIL – KINDERHOOK
PHILLIP BICKERTON: 2,337
MATTHEW NELSON: 1,761
TOWN JUSTICE – AUSTERLITZ
DAVID CASSUTO: 523
TOWN JUSTICE – CLAVERACK
MICHAEL COZZOLINO: 1,902
TOWN JUSTICE – GREENPORT
VICTORIA HILL: 958
HUDSON PROPOSITION 1
YES: 1,436
NO: 693
HUDSON PROPOSITION 2
YES: 1,756
NO: 316
KINDERHOOK LIBRARY FUNDING – KINDERHOOK
YES: 2,466
NO: 1,414
KINDERHOOK LIBRARY FUNDING – STUYVESANT
YES: 566
NO: 294