VESTAL, NY (WSKG) - Democrat Anthony Brindisi released a statement on Monday saying he has congratulated Republican Claudia Tenney, who is set to be sworn in to represent New York's 22nd Congressional District.
"It is time to close the book on this election and focus on building a better community and more united Country for our children,” Brindisi said.
On Friday, with Tenney leading by 109 votes, Oswego County Supreme Court Judge Scott DelConte ordered the remaining ballots in the race to be certified. He had asked Brindisi to show he would suffer "irreparable harm" if the results were certified. DelConte decided Brindisi would not because he could still challenge the election in the House of Representatives under the Federal Contested Elections Act.
The legal dispute uncovered multiple mistakes by county Boards of Elections. Among them includes an issue in Oneida County where more than 2,400 affidavit ballots were filed in time, but were not initially processed by the county Board of Election.
"My one disappointment is that the Court did not see fit to grant us a recount," Brindisi said. "Sadly, we may never know how many legal voters were turned away at the polls or ballots not counted due to the ineptitude of the Boards of Election, especially in Oneida County."
The Democrat said he hopes "some authority" investigates the errors.