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Rob Astorino Concedes To Pete Harckham In State Senate Race

Three weeks after Election Day, incumbent Democratic State Sen. Pete Harckham has declared victory over Republican challenger Rob Astorino in the 40th Senate District.

The race between former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Sen. Pete Harckham is heating up

The race between former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Sen. Pete Harckham is heating up

Photo Credit: Rob Astorino/Pete Harckham

The race between the two had been hotly contested, though absentee ballots turned the tide for Harckham. At the time of his concession, Astorino held a slight lead, though there were thousands of ballots still to be counted.

The 40th district includes parts of Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties.

There are currently 81,351 registered Democratic voters, with 60,454 registered Republican voters, and 55,597 voters with no party affiliation in the 40th District, according to the state Board of Elections, though Putnam and Dutchess both slightly lean Republican.

On Tuesday morning, Nov. 24, Astorino conceded defeat to Harckham, who had been gaining on him after the former Westchester County Executive took a slight lead from in-person voters.

"Mr. Astorino called Senator Harckham this morning to congratulate him on his victory and to offer him his support in any way,” Astorino spokesman William O’Reilly said. “This was a close, close race, but we respect the will of the voters and wish Senator Harckham the best in his new term.”

With Harckham’s win, Democrats clinched a supermajority in the Senate.

“Senator Harckham has worked tirelessly to deliver results to the people of Westchester, Dutchess, and Putnam Counties and earned this re-election," Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said in a statement Monday. "I look forward to continuing to partner with Senator Harckham as we tackle the many challenges ahead of us

In a statement, Harckham said that he is “humbled and grateful for all of the tremendous support I have received during this campaign, and thank all of the voters in Senate District 40 for participating in this historic election.

“The confidence and trust that residents have placed in me once again will continue to guide my intentions,” he added. “These are challenging times, though, and I look forward to being engaged in the hard work necessary to ensure a better future for all.”

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