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.

Senate Seating Update

Only yesterday Harry Reid was saying that Burris was not going to be a U.S. Senator.  After he refused to let Richard Burris into the Senate, Senator Feinstein broke ranks and offered her support for Burris, and the Congressional Black Caucus unanimously voted to support seating Burris.  The Senate leadership also came under pressure as Americans watched an old black man, who would be the only black Senator, forced to stay in the rain by a group of white guys.  Suddenly today after a Richard Burris, Dick Durbin, and Harry Reid met, Harry Reid and Dick Durbin reversed their positions.  They now say they see a way for Richard Burris to join the senate.

In other news, Harry Reid that Norm Coleman "will never serve in the senate."  I wonder how long it will be before he has to reverse himself on this statement as well.

Congress Starts a New Session Today

Reagan famously said, "The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."  Today the government is starting a news session for the 111th time and is intent on helping YOU during this session.  You are permitted to be terrified.

Today is largely a ceremonial day with the swearing in ceremonies taking place.  (This means Virginia has a new junior senator today.)  However there are two stories of note on the senate side of congress.  

Roland Burris, the man Governor Blagojevich nominated to take Barack Obama's senate seat has been rejected by the senate, and while he is working with senate leaders to resolve the issue, he may take it to court.

Also the Minnesota certified that Al Franken won the Minnesota Senate recount yesterday.  Norm Coleman is challenging this in court as this was a very fishy recount process.  The Senate Republican leadership have vowed to keep Al Franken from taking his seat until the the legal battle is concluded in Minnesota.  Minnesota law will not issue a certificate of election until the litigation process has ended, however some Democrat senators including Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid are pushing for Franken to be seated immediately.

The irony in all of this is that Reid is refusing to seat Burris because he doesn't have an election certificate but talking of seating Franken without one.  

Reid Spokesman Says There Will "Likely Be An Attempt To Seat" Franken. 

"Jim Manley, the spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday that there 'likely will be an attempt to seat [Franken] this week.' A senior Democratic aide confirmed that Senate Democrats hoped to swear Franken in Tuesday, along with the rest of the freshman senators." (Emily Cadei and Kathleen Hunter, "Senate Democrats May Try To Seat Franken," CQPolitics.com, January 5, 2009)

FLASHBACK: Reid Spokesman Says Roland Burris Could Not Be Seated Unless He Has An Election Certificate. 

"'Until he gets a certificate he is not a senator,' said Jim Manley, spokesman for Reid, D-Nev." (Catharine Richert, "Challenges Could Keep Two Senate Seats Open For Weeks,"Congressional Quarterly, January 1, 2009)

Now that is what I would call fair and open government.

In other senate news we still don't have a replacement for Hillary Clinton's senate seat.

The GOP is now 3-0 in elections since November 4th.

With 100% of precincts reporting Joseph Cao defeated William Jefferson 50-47 in LA-2 to become the first Vietnamese-American elected to the U.S. Congress. This victory is especially amazing as it was in a majority Democrat district.

While not quite as big a victory as could have been hoped for, Fleming defeated Carmouche by 356 votes in LA-4. Fleming declared himself the victor around 11:00 PM, and he should be feeling real comfortable as he has a larger lead than Norm Coleman does in MN. While we should have had a much bigger victory in that district, it was still a win and we will take every one we can take for now.

Next up any competitive special elections that may arise as a result of Obama's cabinet and White House picks, and then the Virginia executive races in 2009.