Republican Jim Tedisco has conceded in the NY-20 election seat as the odds became further and further stacked against him. The seat was closely watched, and the election first had a close margin of less than a handful of votes between Murphy and Tedisco. However, as the absentee ballot counting placed Murphy hundreds of votes ahead and it became clear that Tedisco would be hard-pressed to win, he gracefully bowed out.
The implications for NY-20 only last until 2010, when the next election will be underway and Republicans will make a play for the seat. However, the race was seen not only as a referendum on Obama’s policies, but also for the Republicans’ ability to recover from the steep losses of the last two election cycles of 2010. Part of Tedisco’s loss involved an inability to get the vote out in the same manner that Murphy was, even though large sums of money was poured into the race by both sides. Tedisco was also unable to convince voters that they could trust the GOP despite concerns over policies of the past Administration. The GOP leadership should head this loss as a warning that our Party must broaden our reach and bring in coalitions of voters including those more moderate views on social issues.
