Spinning NY-20

Let the post election spin begin. Just minutes after Republican Jim Tedisco conceded the upstate New York special election to Democrat Jim Tedisco, both Republican and Democrat leaders were out with statements.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) pointed to Democrat gains in the district in recent years.

“Just a few short months ago, President Obama carried this district and Kirsten Gillibrand won by an overwhelming margin against a well-funded challenger,” he said. “For the first time in a long time, a Republican congressional candidate went toe-to-toe with a Democrat in a hard-fought battle over independent voters. This was hardly a common phenomenon in 2008, particularly in the Northeast. It should also be noted that our members and Party leaders stepped up to the plate and without them this race never would have been as competitive as it was.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) nationalized the race, saying that the result is an indication that voters rejected the GOP’s alternatives.

“Scott’s victory is a clear indication that Democrats, Independents, and Republicans across the country want to continue moving America in a New Direction and reject the