The closest congressional race of 2020 could be decided by fewer than five votes.
New York’s 22nd Congressional District, where Republican Claudia Tenney targeted vulnerable first-term Democrat Anthony Brindisi, was already a tight race, pushed into overtime by recounts and a court battle over who won. One of Brindisi’s attorney’s announced late Tuesday that the current count puts one candidate only a few votes ahead of the other.
The attorney, Bruce Spiva, did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment on whether Brindisi or Tenney leads.
More than 300,000 ballots were cast in the election, meaning the candidates are separated only by a fractional 0.000016%. The tiny margin is expected to shift back and forth repeatedly before the court proceedings have finished. State Supreme Court Justice Scott DelConte said on Tuesday that he is waiting to rule on disputed ballots until all of the counties’ vote counts are updated, meaning the race will still be undecided when Congress resumes session in January.
Along with the race in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, where Democrat Rita Hart is still contesting Republican Mariannette Miller-Meek’s six-vote victory, out of more than 394,000 votes cast, a win in New York’s 22nd is important for both parties. Republicans made major gains in the House in 2020, and when Congress comes back, Democrats will only hold a 10-seat majority in the 435-member chamber.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested in early December that the 22nd Congressional District’s race could be decided by the House.
The race is the last undecided contest of the election. A win for Brindisi would not only mean holding onto his seat but a second narrow victory over Tenney, whom he unseated in 2018 by less than 2%.
