By Doug La Rocque
When the ballot counting was done on the night of Tuesday, April 24 in the special election to fill the area’s vacant seat in the New York State Assembly, Republican Rensselaer County Legislator Jake Ashby led Democrat Cindy Doran, also a member of the Legislature, by 280 votes, with nearly 1000 absentee ballots yet to be counted. The biggest portion of the district is in Renssealer County, and after ballots cast there were tallied, Mr. Ashby had increased his lead by 66 votes, to 344. With only 342 absentee votes yet to be counted in the Columbia County portion of the district, his lead became insurmountable, and last Friday, April 27, Ms. Doran conceded the race.
Speaking with The Eastwick Press, the Assemblyman elect wanted to thank all his supporters in the eastern portion of the county, noting his margin of victory in the Taconic Valley and surrounding hill towns, helped him overcome Ms. Doran’s lead in some of the more urban areas of the district. “I feel all the door to door campaigning I did in those areas, particularly with the help of such people as Berlin Town Supervisor Rob Jaeger, is what put me over the top.”
The remaining votes in Columbia County, are not slated to be counted until Monday, May 7, so a date for Mr. Ashby’s swearing in has not yet been set. He replaces Steve McLaughlin, who vacated the seat when he was elected Rensselaer County Executive.