User:Aswissrole

The 2009 special election for the 20th congressional district of New York was held to fill the vacancy created when Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed US senator from New York, replacing Hillary Clinton, who had been appointed Secretary of State in the Obama administration. The two major-party candidates were Democrat Scott Murphy (pictured), a private businessman, and Republican Jim Tedisco, the minority leader of the New York State Assembly. Early polls favored Tedisco, but by February the race was considered a toss-up. The Republican Party considered the election to be a referendum on Obama's economic policy and injected significant funding into Tedisco's campaign. Major issues included Obama's stimulus plan, which Murphy supported while Tedisco eventually opposed. One early vote count had the candidates tied at 77,225 votes each. Absentee ballots decided the election; ballots were accepted until April 13. While Tedisco had been ahead in early counts, by April 23 Murphy had a 401-vote advantage and Tedisco conceded. Democratic electoral successes in November 2008 and Murphy's clear support of the stimulus package were credited for his success.