Grand Island Town Supervisor Nate McMurray had not conceded as of Wednesday after Erie County election results were counted in his race for Congress against Chris Collins.
McMurray issued the following statement Wednesday saying his campaign would "confer with our attorneys and review the numbers to determine our next course of action."
McMurray was approximately 2,800 votes behind on Election Night in his race against Collins for the NY-27 seat in the House of Representatives. He closed the gap to about 1,000 votes behind, but fell short.
"I want to thank everyone who has been a part of this campaign -- my family, our great campaign staff, and the countless volunteers and supporters from eight counties and across the country, of every political persuasion, who stood with us to fight like hell for integrity and accountability in Western New York," McMurray said. "From the start, people on both sides of the aisle doubted us; and the fact that we're even having this conversation proves that we are boldly challenging party politics and have already made tremendous headway."
"Today, the Erie County Board will complete their counting of votes. Right now, it appears that the difference is less than 0.5 percent, a margin that would, in many counties and states, trigger an automatic recount. We will confer with our attorneys and review the numbers to determine our next course of action. We have seen extensive irregularities in the voting process, especially pertaining to absentee ballots, and there are issues that need to be addressed not only for this election, but for all elections in the future to ensure voters are not disenfranchised and that every voice is heard. With this election, we are setting the stage for years to come. My staff and I are planning to spend some long-overdue time with our families over the Thanksgiving weekend. We will announce our plans for the future on Monday. Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for the overwhelming support and words of encouragement. We are grateful to each and every one of you."
Collins campaign spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre, a Grand Island native, said after the absentee results were revealed, "First and foremost, we want to thank the election teams from all eight counties - Democrat and Republican - for continuing to demonstrate how a fair and proper election should be conducted. Congressman Collins led and won on Election Night and maintained that lead during the entire recanvassing process. Congressman Collins has already returned to work and looks forward to continuing to do the work of the people of the 27th Congressional District."
Erie County Democratic Committee chairman Jeremy Zellner thanked McMurray "for his extraordinary campaign in the 27th Congressional District and for the many sacrifices of the past six months."
Zellner added, "Through the McMurray campaign, we welcomed many new volunteers and activists into the Democratic Party. The Western New York Labor Community also poured its heart and soul into campaign 2018 and we owe them a debt of gratitude as well. Nate's message upheld the values that define our community and our party, and that spirit will continue to inspire us as we look toward next year's local elections and 2020.
"Here at ECDC, we continue to grow our party by welcoming hundreds of new committee members and are more unified than ever before. And with our new majorities in the state legislature and U.S. House of Representatives, we will fight for ethics reform, healthcare, labor rights and civil liberties for all Americans. We need to make voting easier in NYS with early voting, no-excuse absentee balloting, and an end to fusion voting.
"I am also proud of the professionalism of our election staff and our clean, transparent canvassing process, which ensures that every vote is always counted in every election."
