NY-22 Fight Lingers; Ex-GOP Rep. Tenney Has Declared Victory

With final vote totals in New York's 22nd District (Utica) completed Friday and showing former Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., leading by 106 votes out of more than 300,000 cast, it is widely expected the she will be certified the winner shortly.

But Rep. Anthony Brindisi, D-N.Y., left little doubt last week he was not going to go away quietly and planned a court battle to change the outcome.

The next act in this high drama will be Monday at 9:00 a.m. ET in the courtroom of State Supreme Justice Scott DelConte. He has ordered all eight counties in the district to submit their final vote totals to him.

At that point, Judge DelConte will also face complaints from each side about "objection ballots" — that is, ballots they are contesting for technical errors, local sources told Newsmax.

The judge will begin addressing absentee or affidavit ballots that each side is contesting Tuesday.

Following a possible recount and certification of totals from the individual counties in the 22nd District, a winner is expected to be known. Tenney has already claimed victory and expects to be certified.

Should questions and a conflict in the outcome from the 22nd District remain by January, then the U.S. House of Representatives might then judge for itself who won the race.

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.