There was a lot at stake when voters took to the polls for the 2020 election; not only for the presidential election but also for the senate, assembly and congress seats up for grabs. Now that election day, Tuesday, Nov.3, has come and gone, here’s a recap of the unofficial results from the Ulster County Board of Elections.
Presidential Election
Joe Biden was announced as the President-elect on Saturday, Nov. 7, defeating President Donald Trump with 50.8% of the total votes. To win the presidential election, Biden needed at least 270 electoral votes. According to The New York Times Biden has currently received 279 electoral votes (with 42 still up for grabs), clinching the victory.
This election made history with Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the first female, the first Black and the first Asian-American vice president. Trump, however, has not accepted the results, claiming that many of the mail-in ballots that lead to Biden’s victory are a product of voter fraud. Since the election, Trump has filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, Georgia and Arizona, all states that voted in Biden’s favor.
District 19 Congressional Seat
District 19, currently represented by Antonio Delgado (D-Rosendale) includes Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties and parts of Broome, Dutchess, Montgomery and Rensselaer counties. Incumbent Delgado is currently leading the congressional race with 58.6% of the vote. Opponent Kyle Van De Water (R-Millbrook) is running in second with 39.05% of the vote. Third-party candidates, Steve Greenfield (G-New Paltz) and Victoria Alexander (L) currently make up 2.12% of the votes.
Ulster County Senate Races
The 39th New York senatorial district, led by incumbent James G. Skoufis (D-Cornwall), includes Orange County and smaller parts of Rockland County and Ulster County. The largest communities in the district are Monroe and the City and Town of Newburgh. Skoufis, who is the chairman of the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations, is currently losing the election to Republican Steve Brescia who has 4,614 votes. Skoufis is behind by 1,237 votes.
The 42nd district, covering Delaware, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster Counties, is currently represented by Sen. Jen Metzger (D) who is leading with 55.65% of the votes. On Nov. 4 Republican candidate Mike Martucci declared himself the winner of the election when he was leading by 9,000 votes — before the absentee ballots were counted.
“It has been my joy and honor to serve the 42nd Senate District over the last two years. It’s so important that we make sure every vote is counted,” Metzger said in a press release. “There are about 25,000 absentee ballots to count, and we know that they are overwhelmingly from Democratic voters. We expect the process of counting absentees to be an orderly process that will take several weeks, and we will patiently await the final results. I hope to have the opportunity to continue to fight for the communities I represent.”
Metzger is now winning by 2,256 votes.
Michelle Hinchey (D) is currently winning the race for the 46th district with 60.28% of the vote. The 46th district, currently represented by Sen. George Amedore (R), includes Montgomery County and Greene County and parts of Albany, Schenectady and Ulster Counties. Republican Richard M. Amedure Jr. has 38.79% of the votes.
The 51st State Senatorial District covers Schoharie, Otsego and Cortland Counties, and parts of Tompkins, Herkimer, Chenango, Cayuga, Delaware and Ulster Counties. The position is currently filled by Sen. James Seward (R) and Democrat Jim Barber is on track to refill the position. Barber is currently defeating Republican opponent Peter Oberacker by 1,147 votes.
Ulster County Assembly Races
Republican candidates are winning two out of the three races for seats in the state assembly. In the 102nd district, Republican Christopher Tague is leading the close race by 680 votes. His opponent, Betsy Kraat has 45.75% of the votes.
Similarly, in the 104th Assembly District, Republican Andrew Gauzza, IV is leading by a small margin. Gauzza is beating incumbent Jonathan G. Jacobson (D) by 487 votes.
Lastly, in the 103rd Assembly District, incumbent Kevin Cahill (D) is defeating Rex Bridgers (R) with 66.27% of the votes.
