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Cecilia Tkaczyk dominated the Democratic primary for the 46th Senate District by receiving nearly half of the votes in the three-way race.
Tkaczyk, of Duanesburg, secured 2,814 votes for the Democratic ballot line after primary votes rolled in from Montgomery, Schenectady, Albany and Ulster counties, according to unofficial and incomplete election results. No voting numbers have been posted online from Greene County as of early Friday, Sept. 14, morning, but Tkaczyk has already declared victory.
Thomas Dolan fell almost 1,000 votes behind Tkaczyk, with Dolan only capturing 1,822. Monica Arias Miranda, who labeled herself an “independent Democrat,” only garnered 784 votes.
Tkaczyk’s campaign touted her win as an “unprecedented victory” and Tkaczyk said the strong support bodes well for her general election bid against Republican George Amedore.
“The overwhelming amount of support I’ve received in these last few months has been truly inspiring,” Tkaczyk said in a statement. “To be able to come out of this primary with these strong numbers is going to propel me to victory in November.”
There is still one ballot line unclear after the primary though, the Green Party candidate. The primary ballot for the party was a write-in and results aren’t expected to be clear until Monday, Sept. 17, according to Tkaczyk’s campaign.
The strong support for Tkaczyk wasn’t unexpected, because she garnered many key endorsements and toppled funds raised by Dolan and Arias Miranda.
Tkaczyk reported having nearly $85,000 on hand in her 32-Day Pre-Primary financial disclosure. She also has reported a total of more than $46,000 in expenses.
Dolan reported a closing balance of nearly $4,200 in his latest filing and had a total of more than $5,800 in expenses. Arias Miranda had a closing balance of almost $10,500, with more than $12,700 spent on her bid.
Arias Miranda thanked her supporter in a Facebook post acknowledging her defeat.
“I did not win the Democratic line but am very proud of the integrity under which I ran my campaign,” Arias Miranda said. “I look forward to staying in touch with the many new friends I have made across the way and continuing my work in the community.”
Check back to this story for developing information and interviews.
