Election Watch Nov 8
By Cindy Bobseine
County Democrats attended a “watch party” for Tuesday’s election results at the Greenport campaign headquarters.
Screening of the MSNBC election coverage played out on the wall, with election outcomes greeted with cheers or loud disappointment. Those in attendance included New York State Supreme Court candidate Heidi Cochrane, and a virtual visit from Senator-Elect Michelle Hinchey, who expressed her gratitude to the Columbia County Democrats for all of their canvassing and other forms of support.
Volume on the news screening was sporadically lowered to allow for announcements on local election developments. For most of the evening, many of the races were too close to call. Later, the group heard news of significant Democratic wins across the country, as well as the news that Governor Kathy Hochul and Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado had been elected NYS Governor and Lt. Governor; and that NYS Assembly Member Didi Barrett and Senator Michelle Hinchey had likely won their races.
Rick Werwaiss confirmed that the two referendums on the Chatham ballot had passed, ensuring the North Chatham Free Library of more financial support from Chatham town taxes, and confirming that a majority of county voters approved of the the NYS Environmental Bond Act.
Close to midnight, the vote count for CD-19 candidate Josh Riley increasingly indicated that he had been defeated by Republican Marc Molinaro. Riley had not conceded a loss at that point, but as more news came in, the group's incredulity evolved to a sober disappointment and resignation. It also became apparent that two of the Democratic NYS Supreme Court Justice candidates, Meagan Galligan and Sharon Graff, along with Republican Thomas Marcelle, all had higher vote tallies at that point in time than did candidate Heidi Cochrane in the race for three court seats.
The group disbanded with incomplete information on final outcomes for many offices. We left with a mix of feelings to match the wins and losses that were validated or apparent at that point in the election returns. Today, the story continues to unfold, to be analyzed and clarified in coming days.
