Upstate Dem concedes
ALBANY — New York will provide a record block of six freshmen members to the new Republican congressional majority now that incumbent upstate Democrat Dan Maffei conceded a tight race yesterday to GOP challenger Ann Marie Buerkle.
Maffei called Buerkle to concede the Syracuse-area seat after a sweeping recount showed him trailing 104,374 votes to 103,807 votes, a margin of less than a percentage point.
Republicans could still score a seventh victory, on the East End of Long Island, where incumbent Democrat Tim Bishop holds a tiny lead over Republican Randy Altshular, while a recount is ongoing.
Despite their congressional successes, state Republicans suffered sweeping setbacks in the Nov. 2 balloting, losing every statewide office for only the second time in modern times.
Republicans are still locked in a battle for control of the state Senate, with as many as three seats still in play, but with the main focus on incumbent Democratic Sen. Craig Johnson’s effort to overcome a several-hundred-vote deficit.
