by Dan Cohen (NCC News)
7:45 PM
SYRACUSE, NY - After voters signaled a midterm shift on the national political scene, one race in Central New York hangs in the balance and could continue that rightward shift in Washington. Republican challenger Ann Marie Buerkle leads Democratic incumbent Dan Maffei by just 659 votes, rendering the Congressional race in the state's 25th District too close to call. Buerkle began Wednesday trailing by 5,600 votes, according to unofficial returns, but a resounding victory (63% of the vote) in Wayne County has her in front. It will now come down to absentee and military ballots as the G.O.P. hopes for another House seat to add to its new majority.
And then there were 11,000
Military and absentee ballots for the midterm elections were distributed in Onondaga, Wayne, and northern Cayuga counties, as well as three Monroe County towns, according to election officials. Those ballots total 11,000, but there is hope for Congressman Maffei to bounce back, according to his campaign communications manager, Abigail Gardner.
"The important thing is that every single vote be counted and that hasn't happened yet...we are waiting to see how the process unwinds," Gardner said. "The absentee ballots are mostly from Onondaga County, which we (Maffei) won very handily, so there's every reason to believe that in the end we will still win."
According to the Post-Standard, 8,154 of those absentee ballots are courtesy of Onondaga County, which Maffei won by six percentage points.
Insult to Injury
Dissatisfaction with the Obama administration was in full view Tuesday night, as Republicans took the House of Representatives majority with 60 new seats. Democrats maintained control of the Senate, but new conservative faces are arriving to Washington, including some members of the Tea Party. Buerkle, who could be the first female congresswoman in the Syracuse area, is hoping to contribute to the change of power in the country's political center, and continue Democratic woes in 2010.
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