Also at The Albany Project
As more absentees are counted in the tight race between Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop and Randy Altschuler, Bishop has grabbed a very narrow lead, according to the Sag Harbor Express (h/t Todd Beeton).
The story has just one source, Bishop spokesman Jon Schneider, who tells the Express that Bishop now leads by 15 votes.
After an Election Night reporting snafu was corrected, Altschuler had been leading by several hundred votes.
Some background, below.
Bishop was the No. 1 target of the Conservative Society for Action, a very active tea party group that claims to have started the town hall/HCR protest movement by angrily confronting Bishop in Setauket on June 22, 2009.
Self-funding, non-district resident Altschuler was not their favorite in the primary, but the tea partiers went all in for him after he won.
Bishop narrowly won this traditionally Republican seat in 2002, and held it easily until this year.
New York Democrats have already lost five Congressional seats to the Republicans, and are behind in the recounting of NY-25 by about 800 votes.
A Bishop win is important, like every seat still in contention. This one would be extra sweet because it will drive the tea partiers crazy.