Calling his victory in the September 9 Republican primary “step one,” New York State Senate candidate Rob Ortt said that now “we continue to take our message to every corner of the 62nd Senate District to ask for their support in sending a combat veteran and chief executive to Albany.”
Ortt, the mayor of North Tonawanda, soundly defeated 24-year-old newcomer Gia Arnold of Orleans County in the Republican primary, winning the party backing by capturing 78 percent of the vote to Arnold’s 22 percent. That translates to 5,230 votes for Ortt and 1,464 for Arnold.
Ortt thanked all who contributed to his victory. “We won this race the same way we will win in November,” he said in a statement, “with grassroots campaigning, taking our message directly to the voters of Niagara, Orleans and Monroe Counties.”
The overall vote reflected the numbers in Orleans County. According to the Monroe County Board of Elections, Ortt received 308 votes or 86 percent of the vote, and Arnold received 48 votes, or 13 percent of the vote in the towns of Sweden and Ogden which are part of the 62nd District which includes all of Orleans and Niagara counties.
Turnout was reported to be low in both Monroe and Orleans for primary day. The Monroe County Board of Elections said nine percent of Democrats and five percent of Republicans came to the polls. Elections officials in Orleans County said voter turnout was at nine percent.
The general election is November 4 and Ortt will face Democratic nominee Johnny Destino, a member of the Niagara Falls Board of Education, in the race for the seat being vacated by George Maziarz.
Gia Arnold had pulled out of the race in August after admitting to an extra-marital affair. She re-entered the race a short time later and told a Buffalo newspaper she felt she might have done better in the primary if she had not discussed her marital problems, but felt that would have been lying.
Arnold has the Libertarian Party endorsement.
In other primaries on September 9, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his running mate Kathy Hochul overcame challenges for the Democratic nomination from law professors Zephyr Teachout and Timothy Wu. Randy Credico was also on the ballot for governor. Hochul is a former Congressperson whose district included Orleans and Genesee counties.
“I am sincerely honored that Democrats from every corner of this state have put their faith in me to be their nominee for Lieutenant Governor,” Hochul said in a statement released late Tuesday evening. “As a proud daughter of Buffalo, I have a deep gratitude for the support and encouragement they have shown me. And I would also like to thank Tim Wu for running such a spirited campaign.”
Hochul received 60 percent of the vote to Wu’s 40 percent. Governor Cuomo received 62 percent of the vote in the gubernatorial Democratic primary. Teachout received 34 percent of the vote and Credico four percent.
