Monday, April 20, 2009

2009 Is Not 1960 In NY-20

I know that historical anecdotes in close elections make for interesting copy, people always love to compare the past to the present when searching for answers. Yet for the comment from PolitickerNY this morning on the Times-Union article showcasing the epic George Chambers-John Rouse of 1960 is a little bit misleading.

From PolitickerNY:

The ballot counting in the race between Jim Tedisco and Scott Murphy could stretch seven months, as one 1960 election did.
The Times-Union merely recapped what went on in that House race 49 years ago. To even insinuate this race could stretch out several months is a stretch. First of all, Murphy is currently leading by 273 votes and the remaining challenged ballots are mostly held up by Tedisco's team. As polling guru Nate Silver sees it, all indicators show a Murphy win. Already, the court decisions are going Murphy's way as well, so for this to last several months is highly unlikely, even if Tedisco goes all "Norm Coleman" out.