In each of his four previous election bids, Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) has appeared to continually gain voter support at the polls. In this year’s election, where a dramatically close presidential race has gripped the nation, the turnout in New York’s 26th District has reflected just such support.
Hinchey defeated Republican challenger and lifetime businessman Bob Moppert with a solid majority to earn his fifth term as the 26th District’s representative in Congress. The Democrat appeared to hold the lead over Moppert throughout the evening yesterday, according to CNN.com tracking statistics. He ultimately won 62 percent of the votes over Moppert’s 37 percent, rivaling the strongest showing of his eight-year congressional career. He also won with 62 percent of the vote in 1998.
Dan Ahouse, campaign manager for Hinchey, said that the results indicate that Hinchey “is establishing himself as a fixture” in Congress for New York. Hinchey’s 1998 appointment to the powerful House Appropriations Committee also helps his longevity.
“If you look at what he has done,” Ahouse added, “he is a strong advocate of his constituents.”
In that respect, Hinchey will bring into his fifth term a consistently Democratic voting record, along with a distinctly liberal reputation. Ahouse noted that a testament to Hinchey’s appeal is that he has survived and recently flourished in a district with such a substantial number of voters registered Republican.
The last week of the race was acknowledged by both camps to be fast-paced. Moppert, whose appeal to voters rested with his extensive business experience, said in an interview with The Sun last week that he would be visiting communities across the district during the final five days.
His campaign could not be reached for comment last night.
Hinchey, according to Ahouse, had to deal with a Congress that remained in session during his campaign’s final week. “From Friday until today, [Hinchey] has had to squeeze in three weeks of campaigning,” said Ahouse.
Looking forward, Ahouse called the immediate future a “very important time” for Hinchey as well as the 26th District.
Among Hinchey’s priorities Ahouse mentioned local redistricting scheduled for early next year, as well cleaning up the Hudson River — part of a current Congressional environmental proposal.
With regard to national politics, Hinchey has paid close attention to how his colleagues in the House of Representatives have fared in their respective elections. However, Ahouse noted that “we have worked for the past six years with a Republican majority in Congress, and we’ve still managed to get things done.”
Ahouse also said that Hinchey “congratulated Hillary” on her landmark senatorial victory.
Archived article by Maison Rippeteau