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New Districts - Long Lines At Polls

Battle lines have been drawn: districts have been redrawn. Several of today's most-watched races are taking place in the Hudson Valley. WAMC's Dave Lucas reports.

In Congress, Republicans Chris Gibson and Nan Hayworth are running for second terms in newly re-drawn districts against fiercely competitive Democratic challengers.

Hayworth is up against former Clinton White House aide Sean Patrick Maloney, in the battle for the new 18th Congressional District, which includes Orange and Putnam counties along with portions of Dutchess and Westchester.

The 19th Congressional District unites the Catskills, where Gibson is fighting off a challenge from the former chairman of the Ulster County Democratic Committee Julian Schreibman.

With the latest Siena Poll showing Schreibman surging to within striking distance of Gibson, he’s out on the streets.

In Senate races, Polls favor Kirsten Gillibrand over Republican challenger Wendy Long. The 41st Senate seat representing Dutchess and Putnam counties has long been held by veteran lawmaker Stephen Saland. After 32 years in office, Saland’s key vote for same-sex marriage last year almost cost him the ballot. He won the Republican primary by slim numbers against Neil DiCarlo and lost the conservative line to DiCarlo . He is endorsed by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Political observers believe that if DiCarlo can snag 20 percent of the vote, Democrat challenger Terry Gipson has a solid chance of winning.

In the new 42nd Senate District, longtime incumbent John Bonacic is running unopposed for a seventh term.

The new 46th district seat is sought by Republican Assemblyman George Amedore and Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk - the Times-Union reports the two are neck-and-neck in polling. In the 51st, Republican James Seward is battling Democrat Howard Leib.  

In the 99th Assembly District, encompassing parts of Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester Counties, Goshen Mayor Republican Kyle Roddey faces Woodbury Town Board member Democrat James Skoufis in a bid to replace retiring Republican Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun. Skoufis is also knocking on doors today, touting bi-partisanship as a "new normal" in government.

The new 101st Assembly District is a long, narrow district that stretches from Oneida to Orange County... Republican Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney is facing Democrat Daniel Carter. She may have a geographical edge: Tenney is from New Hartford but has a law practice in the Dutchess County town of Clinton.

The battle for the new 102nd Assembly District pits former Albany police spokesman Jimmy Miller against 127th District incumbent Pete Lopez - another close one, as the candidates see eye to eye on many issues.

Election-watchers say the closeness of many of the races is another reason to get out and vote.

Ann Marie Kelly is the Democratic Commissioner in Rockland County. She says the lines of voters are long.

In New York, polls are open thru 9pm.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.