The 117th Congress Has Begun, But One New York Congressional Race Is Still Undecided

The 117th Congress began on Sunday, but two candidates in New York’s 22nd congressional district are still waiting on hundreds of ballots that will likely determine the outcome of their race.

Over 800 outstanding ballots have challenged by either Democratic Rep. Anthony Brindisi or his Republican challenger, Claudia Tenney, and began to be reviewed by a state court on Monday. Until a winner is announced, the Upstate New York district will be without congressional representation.

Since Nov. 3, the vote count has flipped between Brindisi and Tenney, at times resulting in leads of fewer than 20 votes. In December, however, a judge required the district’s eight county election boards to resubmit their results after procedural mistakes were discovered, further delaying any conclusive results.

The last unofficial count gave Tenney a mere 27-vote lead, resulting in a statement declaring victory.

“Now that every undisputed ballot has been counted twice, we are still in the lead,” she said. “We remain confident that once the contested ballots are reviewed by the court and the facts accurately applied according to law, I will be declared the winner, certified, seated, and head to Congress to serve all the people of New York’s 22nd District.”

But outstanding ballots are still being reviewed by State Supreme Court Justice Scott DelConte, and Brindisi remains confident that once every ballot is counted he will be victorious.

“This congressional seat belongs to New York’s voters and they need to have their voices heard,” said Luke Jackson, a Brindisi spokesman. “Anthony Brindisi has worked from day one to correct the errors in this election’s administration and ensure every lawful vote is counted accurately.”

“There are hundreds of ballots still to be determined and as those ballots are considered in the coming weeks the balance in this election will continue to change,” he added.