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FRIDAY, NOV. 05 2020
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UC Students react to results from Nov. 3 election
Tenney leads Brindisi by a wide margin in NY-22 race BAILEY HRYB NEWS EDITOR Three days after Election Day, Republican challenger Claudia Tenney has a healthy lead over Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-Utica).
Photo: Hannah Steyn HANNAH STEYN S P E C I A L ASSIGNMENTS REPORTER With election stress running high on Election Night, the general vibe of the Utica College campus was apprehensive. Students are not only concerned with the results, but also with what the reaction of the general population might be, regardless of the way the votes might go. Professors urged students in their Tuesday classes who need to vote to leave classes if necessary, in order to do so. Students sported their “I Voted” stickers and encouraged their peers to exercise their rights to vote. Senior Audra Williams admits that going into Election Day, she was nervous. However, being able to watch as results came in helped calm her nerves.
Senior and Student Government Association President Peter Gaughan said, “I am always anxious about elections and this one is no different, so while there is reason to be optimistic, tonight is still high stakes, and the stress is palatable.” As far as predictions going in, Williams didn’t have any solid predictions. “Since this election was different from others in terms of voting, I didn’t really have any predictions,” she said. “Whoever wins it’s going to be a big deal for the country, but I couldn’t say who that is going to be,” Williams says. Gaughan predicted that Democrats will keep the House of Representatives and reduce the gap in the Senate , but probably not flip it. “I also anticipate that the president might end the night in the lead from
in-person Election Day voting but after mail-in votes are all accounted for the former VicePresident will take back the White House,” he said. After watching some of the returns, Gaughan’s views changed slightly. “I was hoping for a fairly large margin of victory, at this point in the night I am still confident in Biden’s ability but I think the margin is going to be slim,” he said. Williams expressed concern over events following the election. “I just worry that whoever wins, people on the opposite side will respond with anger that their favored candidate didn’t win,” she said. Campus Safety, however, has had no reason to anticipate any negative outbreaks on campus, as well as other area law enforcement. Despite not anticipating any outcry, local agencies SEE ELECTION PG. 3
The former congresswoman leads Brindisi by a margin of 128,512 votes to 98,489 votes, according to the state Board of Elections. Libertarian candidate Keith Price received 5,467 votes. Tenney addressed her supporters Tuesday night at an event held at Nothin’ Fancy Cafe in Vernon. “We have to keep fighting every step of the way,” she said. “Our committee needs to be grown locally, building this community back starts right here. Your votes have truly counted. It’s been such a battle, but it seems surreal to be in this position again.” This news comes after one of the most volatile presidential elections in recent history, with the winner of that race, between former Vice President Joe Biden and current incumbent President Donald Trump, also yet to be determined. Major swing states, such as Pennsylvania and Nevada, are still up in the air.
The reason behind the slow results could be blamed on the coronavirus pandemic. An increase in mail-in votes, due to fears of voting in-person in large crowds, means that results need to undergo a long delivery process to the polls where they will be hand opened and counted. In addition, mail ballots in New York state have until Nov. 10 if postmarked on Election Day, meaning results could take another week to be finalized, according to The New York Times. The pandemic has also changed the face of inperson watch parties, making this an election race like no other. Brindisi opted to avoid crowds and addressed supporters remotely via Facebook Live, while Tenney held the in-person gathering. In an interview with The Tangerine on Tuesday afternoon, Brindisi admitted that he expected yet another close race between him and his opponent. In 2018, he narrowly defeated thenincumbent Tenney 50.9% to 49.1%. Specifically, Brindisi won by less than 5,000 votes and the race was not officially finalized until Nov. 20. The NY-22 district covers all of Chittenango, Cortland, Madison and SEE CONGRESS PG. 3