PRIMARY WINNER
Cobb set to take on Stefanik in November
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » Former St. Lawrence County legislator Tedra Cobb won a decisive victory with 56 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s 21st District congressional primary.
Cobb defeated four other Democrats for the right to challenge two-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, in November’s general election.
The district, which stretches from Watertown to central Saratoga County, is expected to be a major battleground as Republicans seek to maintain control of Congress in this year’s mid-term elections.
“This election boils down to two things,” Cobb told supporters during her acceptance speech in Canton, her hometown. “The first is a simple question: Is Washington making your life better or are they making your life worse? The second thing we will vote on in November is this: what kind of representative do we want from New York’s 21st Congressional District? Elise Stefanik is a Washington insider who visits our district occasionally. She
never lived here before she was elected, and she doesn’t work hard to get to know what we need. That’s why she votes to harm her constituents. She puts the interests of her friends in Washington over the interest of the North Country. It has to stop.”
According to the unofficial results, Cobb won by a landslide in each of the district’s 12 counties as she captured 10,347 votes compared to 2,200 for Dylan Ratigan of Lake Placid, her closest primary rival. Ratigan, a former CNBC and MSNBC news anchor, and the other three candidates — Katie Wilson of Keene, Emily Martz of Saranac Lake, and Patrick Nelson of Stillwater — were all closely grouped with 2,157, 1,915 and 1,685 votes, respectively.
Cobb also carried Saratoga County by a wide margin where she garnered 1,160 votes compared to runner-up Nelson (370 votes), followed by Wilson (238), Martz (194) and Ratigan (189).
The big question now, for Cobb and the Democratic Party, is whether she can rally support from voters who backed other primary candidates. Wilson already has the Working Families party endorsement.
“There’s so much at stake that I hope people will put aside feelings they have about a single candidate and come together,” said Ron Kim, a former Saratoga Springs city councilman. Kim is one of 11 people who announced plans to challenge Stefanik, before the primary field eventually narrowed to five candidates.
Martz organized a primary night rally for Democrats, designed to promote party unity, at the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls where more than 200 people turned out.
“We’re going to hit the ground running tomorrow, regardless of what the (primary) results are and bring true representation back to this district,” Nelson said
Dr. David Mastrianni of Saratoga Springs, who previously joined the primary race, believes the November election hinges on appealing to middle-of-theroad voters.
“Most people are tired of the two extremes we are facing,” he said. “They all want a return to the general middle where we all live our lives. The candidate that can do that is the candidate who will be most successful.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee wasted no time taking aim at Cobb, who will no doubt be the target of an intense media blitz as the campaign progresses.
Committee spokesman Chris Martin said, “Democrats had several moderate candidates who fit the district to choose from, but instead they chose Tedra Cobb. She’s running on a record marred by tax increases on middle-class families and she would be yet another rubber stamp for (House Minority Leader) Nancy Pelosi in Congress.”
Stefanik spokesman Lenny Alcivar congratulated Cobb, adding: “We are looking forward to a spirited campaign.”
“This election offers voters a clear choice,” he said. “Congresswoman Stefanik has united Republicans, Conservatives, Democrats, and Independents with her bipartisan, independent record of delivering real results for hard-working families and small businesses, our seniors and military service men and women, and our veterans across the North Country. In contrast, our opponent emerges from a weak, divisive Democratic primary as the out of touch, liberal, hyper-partisan, taxand-spend candidate of the general election.”
Stefanik has a large financial war chest at her disposal and the national Republican committee will no doubt spend large sums in an effort to keep her in office.
“Obviously money is always a factor,” said Lynne Boecher, Warren County Democratic Party chair. “But I would point out that Hillary Clinton was very well-funded and is not president of the United States. Tedra’s strength is her initial understanding of the need for a grass-roots organization. What’s distinguished our candidates is that they are part of life in the 21st District. The incumbent spends time here, but clearly is a visitor to the district. That distinction will set us apart.