Albany, NY - State Republican and Democratic leaders are pouring money into the race for the 48th Senate District as Democratic Sen. Darrel Aubertine and Republican challenger Patty Ritchie head into the final days of their campaigns. The NY State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee has deposited $343,000 into Aubertine’s campaign account since Tuesday, according to records filed with the state...
Albany, NY - State Republican and Democratic leaders are pouring money into the race for the 48th Senate District as Democratic Sen. Darrel Aubertine and Republican challenger Patty Ritchie head into the final days of their campaigns.
The NY State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee has deposited $343,000 into Aubertine’s campaign account since Tuesday, according to records filed with the state elections board.
The NY State Senate Republican Committee moved $330,000 to Ritchie this week. That doubles the money she has spent on the campaign so far this year, records show. Aubertine has spent about $478,000 so far this year, reports show.
A Sept. 29 Siena Poll showed Ritchie ahead of Aubertine by 48 to 45 percent, with a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
Senate Republicans are eager to regain control of the Senate. There are 62 seats with 32 Democrats and 30 Republicans.
The North Country seat is no stranger to Albany.
Aubertine first won the job in a 2008 special election, held in the February off-season, to fill a seat left vacant by the retirement of Sen. Jim Wright. It was one of the most expensive races in Central New York history, at $4.3 million – most of it from state party leaders eager to flip power of the Senate from Republican to Democrat.
Before Aubertine, no Democrat had held the seat for at least a century. Only 29 percent of the district’s active voters are enrolled Democrats. The district includes Oswego and Jefferson counties, and part of St. Lawrence County.