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Politics : The Obama - Clinton Disaster -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: longnshort who wrote (11868)	4/24/2009 2:21:22 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 103300

MacKay Takes Credit For Murphy's (Almost) Victory April 24, 2009 Elizabeth Benjamin The Daily Politics nydailynews.com A victor has yet to be declared in the 20th Congressional District race, but that hasn't stopped state Independence Party Chairman Frank MacKay from issuing a hearty "congratulations" to Scott Murphy and taking credit for the Democratic newcomer's apparent success over veteran Republican lawmaker Jim Tedisco. "I would like to commend all those who voted for producing a very large turnout in this special election. I would especially like to thank the over 6700 people who voted on the Independence Party line," MacKay said. "They made the difference in this election." “It has been said, that in close elections like this one, the other constituted third parties in this state could also take credit for being the deciding factor," the chairman continued. "In my opinion, that is like taking credit for the sunrise." "The simple fact is that in hotly contested elections, the Working Families Party always endorses the Democratic candidate and the Conservative Party always endorses the Republican candidate. That is their right and their history." "The Independence Party is the real wild card, endorsing the candidate that we feel will do the best job for the electorate, no matter the candidate’s party affiliation. That is why, in tight races like this one in the 20th, the Independence Party is the deciding factor." The Independence Party's decision in March to award its line to Murphy was a significant blow to Tedisco, who has run with the party's support in every one of his assembly campaigns since its creation in 1994. It was also the first time the party had chosen to back a Democrat over a Republican in the 20th. In 2006, Kirsten Gillibrand and then-GOP Rep. John Sweeney fought hard over the Indy Party line, with Sweeney eventually winning that fight, although it didn't help him hold on to his seat on Election day. Last fall, the line went to Gillibrand's Republican challenger, former state GOP Chairman Alexander "Sandy" Treadwell, who was unsuccessfuly in his effort to oust her. A source close to Tedisco informs me that the assemblyman sought Murphy's personal phone number last night with an eye toward making a very important phone call to him sometime today. That would be in keeping with Jimmy Vielkind's report that Tedisco might be ready to throw in the towel - perhaps as early as this afternoon. That would cap off what has turned into an absolutely dismal week, news-wise, for the former minority leader. Nothing like a Friday-to-Saturday news cycle for making sure your concession speech gets as little attention as possible. Count on the Democrats to make a lot of noise about this, however. It's a big win for them - especially for Gov. David Paterson, who created the vacancy in the 20th by picking Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Clinton in the US Senate, angering a lot of people in the process. Tags: Congress , Democrats , Independence Party , Jim Tedisco , NY-20 , Scott Murphy By Elizabeth Benjamin on April 24, 2009 12:42 PM \|