“With over 5,000 absentee and military ballots still left to count, this race is far from over. We are confident that the Republican advantage in these absentee and military ballots can put Jim Tedisco over the top, and the Republican Party will do everything in its power to make sure all lawful votes are counted.”

Rep. Pete Sessions, Chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee

“… Jim Tedisco has closed the gap in a district that has come to exemplify Democratic dominance in the Northeast in recent elections. That is a testament to the strength of Jim’s campaign and the effectiveness of the Republican message of fiscal responsibility and accountability that Americans are demanding in the wake of the AIG scandal.”

Rep. John Boehner, House Republican Leader

“Listen, we were involved in a special election in New York. It certainly went well last night. Given the turnout, given the fact that it’s a Democrat-held seat, we’re in a virtual dead heat with some six or seven thousand ballots yet to count.

“And when all the ballots are counted, I’ll be proud to escort Jim Tedisco down the center aisle of the House to be sworn in as our newest member.”

Rep. Eric Cantor, House Republican Whip

“[Jim] Tedisco withstood symbolic support for his rival from President Obama, campaign spending by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and a regional shift toward Democrats across the Northeast, [Eric] Cantor said.

“ ‘I think it was a tremendous showing with the tremendous amount of funding that the other side put into this race,’ Cantor said.” (Dloughy, “Republican Leader Praises Tedisco’s Performance” Hearst Washington Bureau, 4/2/09)

New York Republican Delegation: Reps. Peter King, John McHugh, and Chris Lee

“With the election not yet certified, and the Republican advantage among absentee ballots not yet counted, we are confident that Jim Tedisco will be the next Congressman from New York’s 20th Congressional District. We look forward to welcoming Jim as our colleague and working with him to address the critical issues facing upstate New Yorkers.”

The second-ranking Republican in the House says Republican congressional candidate Jim Tedisco scored a “tremendous showing” in Tuesday’s too-close-to-call special election to fill Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s former House seat.

Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, claimed at a breakfast meeting with reporters today that Tedisco had overcome an uphill battle to hold his own against Democrat Scott Murphy.

Cantor, engaging in time-honored political spin designed to boost the political impact of his candidate’s performance, downplayed the significance of the Republicans’ registration advantage and emphasized that the district had not elected a Republican since 2004.

Tedisco withstood symbolic support for his rival from President Obama, campaign spending by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and a regional shift toward Democrats across the Northeast, Cantor said.

“I think it was a tremendous showing with the tremendous amount of funding that the other side put into this race,” Cantor said.

The outcome marks “a very positive trend” for GOP hopes for gaining House seats in 2010 and eventually returning to majority control of the House, Cantor said.

The House GOP whip said he expected Republicans to add to the party’s 178 seats in the next midterm elections. Gains lie ahead in some of the 40 congressional districts now represented by Democrats that voted for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., over Obama last fall, Cantor said.

Cantor said the message from the standoff between Tedisco and Murphy is that “middle-of-the-road folks who determine elections . . . are not embracing” what Democrats are offering: “this out of control spending, this increased borrowing and the prescriptions coming out of Washington.”

At each stop along the tour, which kicked-off yesterday, Tedisco has been highlighting his efforts to create Main Street jobs, cut taxes, turn the economy around, and fight greed on Wall Street and waste in Washington that created the economic downturn and hurt Upstate’s middle class families.

As he has done for the past two weeks, Tedisco continued asking his opponent, Scott Murphy, to answer what he knew about the $165 million AIG bonuses loophole, when he knew it, or if he simply didn’t read the legislation that let it happen.

Tedisco’s Miles for the Middle Class tour included a volunteer rally in Hyde Park; a Republican rally in Red Hook; a grassroots Republican rally and Fire Company BBQ in Germantown; a visit to the Golden Harvest Apple Farm in Valatie; rallying with corrections officers and volunteers in Catskill; attending a Pleasant Valley Republican dinner and then back to Hyde Park, for a Republican rally.

“The hits I’ve been taking from the millions spent on false and misleading advertising from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Washington Democrats and their special interest allies, are nothing compared to the hits middle class families and small businesses across Upstate have taken during this recession,” Tedisco said.

“I’ll keep fighting for the folks on Main Street, and standing up against the greed on Wall Street, because this is one fight worth fighting. A safer, better, stronger Upstate is always worth fighting for. That is exactly what I’ll do in Congress, standing up to greedy executives, like those at AIG, who gave a green light to $165 million in bonuses after receiving a taxpayer bailout. Or IBM, which was shamelessly negotiating to outsource 4,000 Hudson Valley jobs to India and wanted to do so on the taxpayer’s dime,” Tedisco stated.

“Scott Murphy’s position on AIG is on a ‘need to know’ basis: Scott thinks voters don’t need to know. Unlike Scott Murphy, voters know exactly where I stand on the issue of AIG. I stand against its unbridled, unjustifiable, immoral greed. With just three days before Election Day, I’ll keep asking Scott where he stands because Upstate taxpayers need to know,” Tedisco concluded.

The Poughkeepsie Journal, the Glens Falls Chronicle and the New York Post have already endorsed Tedisco.

One of the areas the Ballston Journal pointed to in endorsing Tedisco was the need to ensure greater openness, accountability and transparency in how Congress spends taxpayer dollars and enacts legislation. In its endorsement, the Ballston Journal said Tuesday’s special election was a chance for voters to “send a message” with their vote, noting the following:

“Like most Americans, we generally resist the idea of voting to send a message, preferring to choose candidates on their individual merits. Given the highly unusual circumstances of this election, we will make an exception… The simple result of the vote totals will have more effect on the fate of the nation than all the other actions that will be taken by the winning candidate during the next two years. For that reason we urge a vote for Republican James Tedisco. … Poorly written legislation, such as the recent federal stimulus bill, which was passed without a single Member of Congress having an opportunity to actually read it, inevitably leads to waste and unintended consequences. The AIG bonus provision, inserted by staff members, without an opportunity for amendment or discussion, is a perfect example of the dangers of haste and lack of accountability.”

In addition to the many newspapers that have endorsed his candidacy for New York’s 20th Congressional District, Tedisco has received the endorsements of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Businesses, Trust in Small Business PAC, and Neil Golub, President and CEO of Price Chopper.

Candidate for New York’s 20th Congressional District, Jim Tedisco, (R,C-Saratoga) today called for increased oversight, openness and transparency into how federal stimulus funds are spent, pointing to recent news that IBM sought such aid from taxpayers, even while planning to outsource 4,000 jobs from the Hudson Valley to India.

“First we learned of the AIG loophole that allowed $165 million in executive bonuses – the resulting public firestorm was justifiably swift and severe. Then, news broke yesterday that IBM – which continues to decrease its local workforce – was negotiating a share of federal stimulus dollars while planning to outsource 4,000 Hudson Valley jobs to India. Where does it end?” Tedisco asked.

“It will end when I am serving in Congress, representing taxpayers and fighting for increased oversight, openness and transparency. In Congress, I will be a strong voice for fiscal responsibility – I won’t be a rubber stamp for Speaker Nancy Pelosi the way my opponent, Scott Murphy, was by endorsing the stimulus bill without even knowing what was in it, or that it allowed $165 million in AIG bonuses to go forward. That’s not leadership, it’s being a rubber stamp. Congress already has too many rubber stamps and not enough leaders. I will be a leader,” Tedisco said.

“That IBM would seek funding from the federal stimulus law and then try to outsource 4,000 jobs to India is a crystal clear example of how taxpayer monies, which were intended to create jobs and stimulate the economy, could be misspent. We cannot allow that to happen – we must be sure that every dollar of taxpayer funds are fully accounted for,” Tedisco stated.

“In Congress, I will oppose any attempt to misuse federal stimulus funds or use those monies to try and outsource American jobs to India. That is unacceptable and people across the Hudson Valley are justifiably angry over IBM’s intention to outsource even more jobs. I oppose this, just as I opposed AIG giving out $165 million in taxpayer funds to executives who ran that company into the ground,” Tedisco said.

“With only a handful of days before Election Day, my opponent still refuses to answer a question I have been asking since news of the $165 million AIG scandal broke two weeks ago: did he support AIG giving out those bonuses, or did he not read the legislation that let those bonuses go forward? Voters have been waiting for two weeks and they deserve an answer,” Tedisco said.

Ø According to House Democrats, Scott Murphy’s poll has him down 2 points:

“Murphy’s lack of White House support has infuriated House Democrats, who say the Democratic businessman trails Tedisco by just 2 points in their internal polling.” (Bresnahan, Politico, 3/25/09)

Ø A national Republican poll has Tedisco leading by 3 points: “A GOP campaign operative tells Political Wire that internal polls conducted by the RNC shows Jim Tedisco (R) just three points ahead of Scott Murphy (D) in New York’s 20th congressional district special election.” (Goddard, Political Wire, 3/25/09)

“Jim Tedisco was fantastic in the fourth and final debate of this special election campaign scoring an impressive win in tonight’s WROW/League of Women Voters/Capital News 9 debate. Jim is now four for four in debate victories and it’s worth noting that his performance in these forums has already landed him the endorsements of the Poughkeepsie Journal, Glens Falls Chronicle and the New York Post.

Most importantly, Jim spoke directly to voters and discussed the issues that people care about: fighting for the people who live and work on Main Street and standing up to the greed on Wall Street and waste in Washington.

It’s been nine days, yet Scott Murphy still has not answered the simple question of whether he supported handing out $165 million in AIG bonuses or just rubber-stamped a bill he didn’t read.

Once again, we saw a clear choice between Jim Tedisco, who has been a steadfast advocate for the forgotten middle class, versus a Wall Street executive who has been part of the problem and not the solution.”

“Reports that IBM – which today cut thousands of jobs in Dutchess County – wants federal stimulus funds while outsourcing jobs from the Hudson Valley to India, is outrageous and possibly worse than what AIG tried to do. Stimulus funding was supposed to spur the creation of jobs – not aid companies that are outsourcing to a foreign country. This type of misguided priority is exactly why, back in February, I insisted to Governor Paterson that we needed 100 percent transparency and accountability in how federal stimulus funds were utilized. Scott Murphy rubberstamped this legislation – now it appears as if IBM is following his lead by creating jobs in India, not the district.”

“Jim Tedisco clearly was the victor in tonight’s News Channel 13/Post Star debate. Jim was focused and direct in his answers and talked about the pain on Main Street that was caused by greed on Wall Street and indifference in Washington.

It’s been seven days, yet Scott Murphy still has not answered the simple question of whether he supported AIG handing out $165 million bonuses or just rubber-stamped a bill he didn’t read.

Tonight’s debate showed that there is a real choice in this race between a taxpayer champion with a proven record of standing up for working families like Jim Tedisco and someone who has just been part of the problem that got us into this financial mess in the first place.”

Candidate for Congress, Jim Tedisco (R,C-Saratoga), today said a refusal by Democrat Commissioners at the State Board of Elections (BOE) to afford nearly 2,000 American military service men and women registered in the 20th district an opportunity for their votes to be counted was “an insult to America’s heroes who struggled, sacrificed and died in the defense of democracy.”

Tedisco said he supported an effort by President Obama to extend the deadline for military personnel serving abroad to submit their absentee ballots. President Obama’s Justice Department has recommended the State BOE extend the deadline for accepting military and overseas ballots from seven to 13 days in the special election being held for New York’s 20th Congressional District on March 31st. As a result of the BOE’s actions, the Justice Department may take legal action.

“I applaud President Obama for directing the Justice Department to ensure our State BOE provides America’s courageous service men and women who defend democracy every opportunity to ensure their right to vote is safeguarded,” Tedisco said.

“Not only should their votes count and voices be heard, America’s heroes deserve our full appreciation and thanks for the sacrifices made in service to our grateful nation. Protecting the right of our military members to have their votes counted is our fundamental responsibility to those who have sacrificed so much, so many could remain free,” Tedisco stated.

“Even since our nation’s founding, the right to vote has been an integral part of our democracy. The Democrat Commissioners at the State BOE should be ashamed of themselves for not supporting an effort to ensure 2,000 members of our military residing across the 20th district can have their votes counted. My opponent should put aside his past anti-military comments and join me in calling for an extension,” Tedisco said

“Surely, asking for an extra seven days so the courageous men and women who defend our democracy and preserve our way of life is not too much to ask for,” Tedisco concluded.