Tedisco gets newspaper’s nod in NY-20

Republican candidate for Congress James Tedisco won the first substantial newspaper endorsement in his special election against Democrat Scott Murphy over the weekend, securing the backing of the Poughkeepsie Journal.

“The district needs someone to jump right in and make a difference, and veteran state lawmaker James Tedisco has those abilities,” the paper editorialized, citing Tedisco’s relative experience in the public sphere versus Murphy.

The paper, which circulates 40,000 issues daily in an area covering the district’s southeastern corner, also claimed the need for a dissenting voice in Congress and from the administration.

“Tedisco is a proven fighter in this way,” the paper wrote. “He rightly questions the overall pricetag [of the stimulus package] and says he would have sought amendments to eliminate spending that doesn’t directly deal with aiding the economy.”

Tedisco and Murphy face off in a March 31st special election to fill the House seat vacated by now-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in New York’s 20th congressional district.