X

Stefanik promises 'new ideas, fresh energy' after winning GOP Congressional primary by wide margin

Posted 6/24/14

Updated at 9:10 a.m. June 25 Twenty-nine-year-old Elise Stefanik won the Republican 21st Congressional primary by a wide margin Tuesday, and promised she will continue to campaign “with new ideas, …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Stefanik promises 'new ideas, fresh energy' after winning GOP Congressional primary by wide margin

Posted

Updated at 9:10 a.m. June 25

Twenty-nine-year-old Elise Stefanik won the Republican 21st Congressional primary by a wide margin Tuesday, and promised she will continue to campaign “with new ideas, fresh energy and a fresh approach to shake up a failed Washington.”

She continued, “We will continue to outline common sense pro-growth reforms.”

The Harvard graduate from Willsboro spoke minutes after Watertown businessman Matt Doheny conceded the GOP primary race.

“It certainly didn’t go the way we wanted it to,” he told supporters, campaign workers and family members at his campaign headquarters.

Noting he knocked on “over 2,000 doors,” he maintained his campaign was outspent “six, seven to one.”

As for his future plans, he said, “Where do we go from here? We’ll figure that out tomorrow.”

Stefanik said “repealing and replacing Obamacare, scraping the tax code completely,” supporting agriculture and Fort Drum, and reining in “our runaway spending” would be her priorities.

With more than 25,000 votes counted and most precincts in the 12-county North Country 21st Congressional district reporting, Stefanik, had received 15,392 votes compared to 9,814 for Doheny, who was trying for a third time to win the Republican party nomination.

The results are unofficial and do not include absentee ballots.

In St. Lawrence County, Stefanik beat Doheny 1,935-1,593. In neighboring Jefferson County, where Doheny’s hometown of Watertown is located, Stefanik came out ahead by just a few votes, 2,525-2547.

Stefanik won 11 of the 12 counties. Doheny did win the portion of Herkimer County that is within the 21st Congressional district – by four votes, 232-228.

The 21st Congressional district runs from south of Watertown to Plattsburgh to Glens Falls.

Stefanik will face newcomer Democrat Aaron Woolf, a filmmaker from Elizabethtown and Manhattan, and Green Party baker Matt Funiciello of Glens Falls, to replace Democrat Bill Owens of Plattsburgh, who has decided not to seek reelection

But Doheny’s name appear on the ballot anyway, since he has the backing of the Independence Party. But the GOP ballot line, which will be the second line down on the ballot this year, is the important one.

For county-by-county breakdowns, visit http://northcountrynow.com/unofficial-gop-primary-results-21st-congressional-race