US Rep. Hanna foils tea party challenge in primary

The unofficial tally showed Hanna with 53 percent of the vote with 95 percent of the district’s precincts reporting Tuesday evening.

Hanna, 63, of Barneveld, is rated as a moderate in Congress and was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and most of the county committees in the district.

His opponent, state Assemblywoman and lawyer Claudia Tenney, 53, of New Hartford, positioned herself as “more of a constitutional conservative” than Hanna and said she was hoping for an upset like House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s defeat by tea party-backed challenger Dave Brat this month in Virginia.

Tenney got national attention late in the campaign with support from conservative commentators, including Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Michelle Malkin.

She was also endorsed by the state Conservative Party based on her votes in the Legislature, including opposition to the gun control law championed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Hanna, who built a construction business before running for Congress, had accused Tenney of distorting his record, which he said has been productive and includes being “thoughtful enough” to vote against the government shutdown.

“I work with people,” he said. “Apparently that’s a crime today.”

He said he stands by his constituent service and support for abortion rights and gay marriage as representative of his district.

“I know why I was sent there,” Hanna said. “I know who I work for.”

Hanna had a major fundraising advantage in the race, raising almost $1 million and spending about half that much so far, according to recent federal election records. That includes about $350,000 from political action committees. Tenney reported raising about $29,000 in individual contributions and lending her campaign $100,000. She spent $112,000.

The district runs from Lake Ontario around Oswego through the Mohawk Valley to the Pennsylvania border around Binghamton.