Tedisco Concedes to Scott Murphy

On Friday Jim Tedisco conceded the contest for New Yorks 20th congressional district. After counting the votes Tedisco was down by 400 votes, and instead of dragging it out, he decided the proper thing to do was concede. In his concession speech he said,

“This was a closely contested election that perhaps lasted a little longer than anyone may have expected or wanted. Ultimately, it became clear that the numbers were not going our way, and that the time had come to step aside and ensure that the next congressman be seated as quickly as possible.”

This was a campaign I had the opportunity to work on, and I would have loved to see Jim Tedisco as the next congressman from NY-20. That said he worked hard, the vote counting was fair and accurate, and when he realized the votes weren't there he did the proper thing and conceded. While Democrats are trying to use Tedisco's concession to get Norm Coleman to concede in Minnesota, they are two different races. In New York the vote counting was fair and untainted. Minnesota was full of wierd practices like finding votes in the back of a poll workers car. Those are issues that have to be dealt with. Hopefully after everything is said and done Coleman will be retain his seat in the U.S. Senate.

For some excellent analysis as to why Tedisco lost click here. It is a very good reminder of the importance of sticking to principles over polls, something I hope McDonnell does this year.

For analysis of what this election means to the GOP as a whole click here.