Nearly four hours after polls closed for the 2010 Primary election on Tuesday, Sept. 14, Jennifer Whalen emerged as the clear winner in the 109th Assembly race. She will now challenge Democratic incumbent Bob Reilly for his seat in November.
Jennifer Whalen ran against Craig Hayner on the Conservative line and against both Hayner and James Whalen on the Republican line. Election results with 100 percent reporting showed Jennifer Whalen with a total of 2,737 votes, Hayner with 2,169 votes and James Whalen with 1,305. Hayner did win in Saratoga County, but Jennifer Whalen’s win in Albany County put her over the edge.
I’m really happy, excited and cleaning up the office so that I can hit the ground running and think about my next move, said Jennifer Whalen. `I’ve got to check the final numbers and then I’m going to call my opponents, wish them well and thank them for running spirited campaigns and keeping it civilized and clean.`
`Obviously, we were hoping for a different outcome … but I want to thank everybody from the very bottom of my heart for all the hard work that everybody did,` said James Whalen, after about 98 percent of poll results were in.
Craig Hayner, a Town of Halfmoon Councilman and small business owner, expressed disappointment and congratulations after hearing the Primary results.
`I would like to congratulate Jennifer Whalen on her victory here tonight. It was a tough battle all the way and in the end, the voters of the 109th made the final decision on who was best to take on the incumbent Bob Reilly in November,` said Hayner in an email. `I would like to thank God, my family, our campaign team, the Halfmoon Republican Committee, the Saratoga County Conservative Committee and all the people who came out to volunteer for my campaign for all of your hard work and dedication. I am both grateful and humbled by your support and I look forward to helping the candidates who truly want to fix what is broken in Albany and Washington, DC get elected this fall.`
Jennifer Whalen said she thought the Primary was a good stepping stone and very beneficial because it forced the candidates to concentrate and focus on the issues early on, securing their bases and has now put her further ahead of the game going into the general election in November.
`I have experience to hit the ground running when I get into the legislature; there will be no orientation or honeymoon period with me because I have a good lay of the land and I think [voters] appreciated that too,` said Jennifer Whalen, who previously worked in the attorney general’s office.
James Whalen, who said he walked what seemed like 200 miles going door-to-door with his wife in Clifton Park, Colonie and Halfmoon, had built his platform around making a return to `traditional, conservative Republican values` and while disappointed with the outcome of the Primary, said he will not fade from the political scene.
`This is a passion of mine and I felt very strongly about doing this and I hope it came across. Do I have plans in the future? Yes. What are they, I have absolutely no idea,` said James Whalen. `I enjoyed this. I think I have something to bring to the table and I would like to stay involved.`
While Jennifer Whalen said she was cautiously optimistic throughout the Primary process and election night, she was also confident that her work ethic and determination would pay off.
`I never take anything for granted and never underestimate my opponents, but I do know from experience that I’m very hardworking and have a lot of grit and determination and I knew if I focused on what I needed to do and worked as hard as I could, then I would probably prevail,` said Jennifer Whalen. `I worked really hard and was very hands on in every aspect of my campaign. My family went on summer vacation without me this year because I was going door to door in Clifton Park the whole month of August and had been walking the district in Colonie since May almomst every day, trying to meet every single Republican and Conservative voter.`
She said that mindset will give her an edge going against Reilly.
`When there’s a job to be done I don’t let up until it’s done,` said Jennifer Whalen. `A lot of the voters want the incumbents out and when I came to their door and saw I didn’t take them for granted, they thought it was refreshing. They would say, ‘Wow, I’ve never had any candidates at my door, you’ve got my vote.’ They realize I’m qualified and down to earth.`
She said this election was the first time she’d run for anything since eighth grade class president and is looking forward to doing it again.
`It was really interesting and I’ll have fond memories of it,` said Jennifer Whalen, who said she plans to run in the Hannah’s Hope run Sunday and attend a Shenendehowa football game next week.
Jennifer Whalen is an attorney and small business owner who lives in Loudonville. Her platform focused on three `common sense proposals,` which were to implement a state tax cap and spending cap, restore ethics to the state legislature and incorporate a pro-jobs, pro-economic development agenda.
Other area results
In the Town of Ballston’s GOP primary for the town justice race, voters chose John Fantauzzi over James Breen, 556-247. Voters also gave Fantauzzi the Conservative line, 19-13. Breen, who is already on the Democratic line, won the Independence line, 14-5.
Check spotlightnews.com for additional primary coverage.
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