Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, a Republican representing District 1, said he is waiting for the remaining 8% of votes to be counted before calling his Democratic opponent Luz Bay.
“Once it’s at 100%, I’ll claim defeat. I owe it to my supporters to do that,” Kenney said in an interview Thursday evening
Kenney, 66, is currently in his fifth term on the five-member Executive Council, which currently has a 4-1 Republican majority. If Bay’s lead holds and she is certified the winner against Kenney, the Executive Council will have a 5-0 Democratic majority starting next year.
With 93% of the votes counted in District 1, Bay was leading Kenney 51.8% to 48.2%
Some towns in the North Country, which count ballots by hand, are likely among those final votes to be counted, according to Kenney.
“It’s quite extraordinary,” Kenney said of the Democratic wave. “I would say that this was not a blue wave, it was a blue tsunami.”
Kenney said it was clear that the war in Iran, opposition to President Trump, and cost-of-living concerns led to people voting against Republicans. On “bread and butter issues,” Kenney said he has heard from constituents for months about gas prices and the economy.
Asked when he knew the race results were trending against him as polls started reporting votes, Kenney was quick to respond: “When did I know? To be honest, August.”
