Dems stave off primary for Tedisco’s seat
GOP braces for conflict as state senator battles with incumbent Jordan
In the dash for a new open Senate seat carved out by the redistricting process, Democrats for one Capital Region seat have managed to short-circuit a primary while Republicans are barreling towards a combative process.
Thearse Mccalmon, one of two Democrats seeking the nomination for the redrawn 44th District, dropped out of the race on Friday and endorsed county Legislator Michelle Ostrelich. Each were making their second runs at the seat, which includes the city of Schenectady, Niskayuna and Saratoga County.
“Primaries are healthy and needed,” Mccalmon said in a joint appearance with Ostrelich on Friday. “But we cannot wait until we’ve exhausted our resources and our community to come together. Unity is a necessity — now more than ever.”
The bid marks the fourth in as many years for a political seat for Mccalmon, including attempts at City Council, state Senate and a Democratic primary bid for Schenectady mayor in 2019 in which she nearly routed incumbent Gary Mccarthy.
Primary voters for the state Senate and U.S. Congress head to the polls Aug. 23.
Ostrelich might head to a contest with state Sen. James Tedisco, R- Glenville. But Tedisco is locked in his own primary battle against Halfmoon Republican state Sen. Daphne Jordan, a Republican who is running for reelection in the district, which contains a wide swath of Saratoga County residents (and excludes Tedisco’s Glenville home by a handful of miles).
The flap has opened up schisms within the party: Tedisco said candidates should heed party backers, including
the Saratoga GOP Committee, which has endorsed him. Jordan has lashed his “backdoor political machinations.”
The state Conservative Party has backed Jordan, who has called the nomination process flawed, and maintains Tedisco should run against longtime state Sen. Neil Breslin, a Bethlehem Democrat, in a nearby district more favorable to Democrats.
The heavily Democratic 46th District includes Schenectady County (excluding the city of Schenectady and Niskayuna), Albany County (without Cohoes, Watervliet and Colonie) and Montgomery County.
Tedisco and Breslin are just two examples of the new political district lines that were finalized last
month, throwing perennially incumbent elected officials into competitions.
Other districts have resulted in free-for-all contests, including the highly sought after New York’s 10th Congressional District, which has seen nearly a dozen hopefuls annnounce races, including former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, state Asssemblywoman Yuh-line Niou and U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones.