Former U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney has won a Republican primary in central New York to earn a rematch with Democrat Anthony Brindisi, who ousted her from office in 2018.
Tenney, a one-term congresswoman from New Hartford in Oneida County, defeated Broome County history teacher George Phillips in the 22nd Congressional district. Tenney had been endorsed by the state Republican Party, President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association.
The district leans Republican and the 2018 race was narrow, with Brindisi besting Tenney by fewer than 2 percentage points. He was one of several Democrats to flip Republican seats in New York that year.
Voting in New York's primary election concluded June 23, but an unknown number of ballots have continued to trickle in by mail. Phillips has conceded.
Tenney campaigned on a platform of rebuilding the economy and focusing on helping small businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic. She has also attacked Brindisi for voting to impeach Trump, despite saying he wouldn't do so during his 2018 campaign.
"President Trump needs allies in Washington to fight for our commonsense conservative values," Tenney said in a statement Thursday.
"Two years ago, voters rejected career politician Claudia Tenney and they will do so again in November," Luke Jackson, Brindisi's campaign spokesman, said in a statement.
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