By Holly Crocco
It was a night for incumbents to claim victory and many Republicans to join their peers who serve in various capacities, with the Nov. 5 elections bringing a large volume of voters to the polls – both on Election Day and during early voting.
Locally, the only contested race for Putnam County Legislature was in District Four, representing the Town of Patterson, where Laura Russo earned the most votes with the Republican and Conservative lines (2,596, or 55 percent), against Democrat Randall Mulkins, who earned 1,828 votes (39 percent), and Jennifer Bumgarner, who earned 245 votes (5 percent) on the Patterson Frist lie.
During her campaign, Russo vowed to “always do right by my neighbors. I will deliver more transparency to our county government, reduce our taxes, and never let Putnam become an illegal migrant sanctuary,” she said. “This year has been a wild ride. I am so thankful and fortunate for all the support I’ve received through what has been a tough but rewarding campaign.”
Incumbent Democratic Legislator Nany Montgomery was unchallenged in District One in Philipstown, and former Republican Legislator Dan Birmingham was unchallenged in his run to return to the governing body to represent parts of Mahopac and Brewster in District Seven.
Republican Joseph Esposito was elected to the Patterson Town Board with 3,061 votes (58.5 percent), with Democratic challenger Sonya Abbye Taylor earning 2,154 votes (41 percent).
Tweeps Woods was elected to the Cold Spring Village Board with 669 votes, defeating Laura Bozzi, who received 594 votes.
Republican Michelle Stephens was elected Putnam Valley town clerk with 3,666 votes (59 percent), defeating Democratic challenger Regina Gelfer, who earned 2,549 votes (41 percent).
A proposal to increase the Patterson Library budget by $60,900 to just over $1 million was approved 3,160 to 1,995 (61 to 39 percent).
A proposal to increase the Town of Southeast’s contribution to the Brewster Public Library budget by $460,000 was approved 5,814 to 2,715 (68 to 32 percent).
In the 17th Congressional District, which includes all of Rockland and Putnam County as well as parts of northern Westchester and southern Dutchess counties, incumbent Republican Mike Lawler held onto his seat against Democratic challenger Mondaire Jones. In Putnam, Lawler earned 59 percent of the vote, while Jones earned 39 percent. Working Families Party candidate Anthony Frascone earned 2.5 percent of the vote in Putnam.
In a victory email sent the morning after the election, Lawler said he will practice bipartisanship while in office.
“While I am and always will be a proud Republican, let me be clear – I would not have won tonight without the support of Democrats and Independents, who crossed party lines, and I won’t let them down,” he said.
Lawler said he will work to lower the cost of living, support law enforcement, and ensure the safety of communities.
Incumbent Republican State Sen. Rob Rolison narrowly pulled out a victory against Democratic challenger Yvette Valdes Smith in the 39th State Senate District, representing parts of Putnam, Dutchess and Orange counties. In Putnam, the vote was split 48 to 52 percent, favoring Smith.
In State Senate District 40, which includes parts of Westchester and Putnam counties, incumbent Democratic State Sen. Pete Harckham held onto his seat in a race against Republican Gina Arena, although more Putnam voters (almost 61 percent) opted for the sitting senator.
“The support I have received during this campaign has been phenomenal, and I truly appreciate all of the voters in Senate District 40 for making their voices heard in this important election,” said Harckham.
He attributed his victory to an abiding focus on issues that are important to residents, including protecting women’s reproductive healthcare choices, common-sense gun safety laws, climate change, middle-class tax cuts, and education aid for our schools.
In the 94th State Assembly District, incumbent Republican Matthew Slater defeated challenger Democrat Zachary Couzens, having received more than 60 percent of the vote in both Westchester and Putnam counties.
“This is a validation of our strong record of delivering and fighting for the Hudson Valley,” Slater said after his victory. “It is clear Hudson Valley voters want a state government that tackles the affordability crisis, creates a new age of opportunity, and finally prioritizes public safety. I look forward to returning to Albany to fight for these crucial priorities.”
In the 95th State Assembly District, incumbent Democrat Dana Levenberg easily held onto her seat against Republican challenger Michael Capalbo, with more than 60 percent of the vote in both Westchester and Putnam.
Preliminary results showed Democrats sweeping the race for a seat in the U.S. Supreme Court Ninth Judicial District in New York, with Colleen Duffy, Kyle McGovern, Mary Anne Scattaretico-Naber, Brett Broge and Rachel Tanguay each receiving between 11.5 and 12.5 percent of the vote. Republicans Thomas Humbach, Edward Mevec, Karen Ostberg, Lesile Kahn and Mark Starkman each earned about 8 percent of the vote.
Putnam residents voted in contrast to the end results, with Republicans each receiving between 10 and 11 percent of the vote and Democrats each getting about 8 or 9 percent.
The vote for “proposition one” – to amend the state’s constitution to “protect against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy,” as well as protect against “unequal treatment based on reproductive healthcare and autonomy” – was approved across the state.
The vote was almost evenly split in Putnam, with 50.6 percent of residents (25,714) voting “no” and 49.4 percent (25,106) voting “yes.”
More than half (57 percent, 30,650 votes) of Putnam residents voted with the majority of Americans for Donald Trump for president, on the Republican and Conservative lines, against Kamala Harris (42 percent in Putnam, or 22,860 votes) on the Democratic and Working Families lines. There were 473 write-ins in the county.
For U.S. senator, 45 percent of Putnam residents supported incumbent Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, who claimed victory, while 54 percent went with Republican Michael Sapraicone. Diane Sare (LaRouche) received 181 votes in Putnam, and there were 25 write-ins.
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