By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
COEYMANS — Election Day brought Coeymans a new state senator.
Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy was elected to fill the seat vacated by state Sen. Neil Breslin, who announced his retirement this summer after decades in the position. Fahy, a Democrat, defeated Republican Ted Danz Jr. by a 53% to 43% margin and will take office representing the 46thstate Senate district in January.
“I want to thank Neil Breslin and Jack McAneny, who I replaced 12 years ago,” Fahy told supporters Tuesday night. “Their leadership and their guidance have meant so much.”
Other federal and state races brought no surprises.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, coasted to an easy victory with 55.6% of the vote to challenger Michael Sapraicone’s 39.3%.
U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-20, defeated Republican challenger Kevin Waltz by a double-digit margin, 60.4% to 39.6%. Tonko will serve his ninth term in office; he was first sworn into Congress in 2009.
Assemblyman Chris Tague, R-102, handily defeated Democratic challenger Janet Tweed by a margin of 61.8% to 34.6% to win a fifth term in office.
“I’m incredibly proud of the women and men who worked with me to get me here, and for them, I am eternally grateful,” Tague said in a statement. “But my re-election is not my victory alone. It’s a victory for rural New York. It’s a statement that shows our community remains engaged and focused on delivering the best life we can to every New Yorker. I will continue to fight for New Yorkers—for a safer state for them to live in, for an economy that works for them and for a future they can rely on. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, and I’m just as excited and energized as ever to continue delivering for all the people of the 102nd Assembly District.”
