SamPratt.com

Election results as of midnight

The faces of the FOX News anchors were ashen around 11:15 pm as they dutifully announced the projection—already aired on MSNBC—that Barack Obama would be reëlected President for a second four-year term.

Meanwhile, several Republican nominees running in Columbia County were ahead of their Democratic opponents. According to published reports as of midnight:

• McLaughlin leads Roberts by about 3,000 votes for State Assembly;
• Marchione leads Andrews by about 11,000 votes for State Senate;
• Gibson leads Schreibman by about 14,000 votes for the U.S. House;

On the brighter side for Dems:

• Mott is far ahead for State Supreme Court Judge, with Schick holding an 8,000 vote lead over the closest Republican challenger;
• The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that Didi Barrett won comfortably in Dutchess County, while The Times-Union shows Barrett with a smaller lead in Columbia County, indicating an overall win.

There are absentee ballots and some precincts yet to report in all of these races, but they seem unlikely to change the outcome of these races.

South of us, Terry Gipson has declared victory over longtime incumbent Steve Saland for State Senate.

Tracking Columbia election results

The Albany Times-Union is posting election results for Columbia County at this link.

Currently (at 10 pm), the paper has Gibson beating Schreibman handily; Barrett slightly ahead of Byrne; Roberts and Andrews trailing their opponents, McLaughlin and Marchione, respectively; and Mott winning handily, with Schick locked in a very close race with Kavanaugh and Malone.

Presidential predictions

One of dozens of yard signs I painted to benefit the Hudson Democrats in 2008—not something I’d do today...

For what it’s worth, the Iowa Futures Market puts the chances of Obama winning at just under 80%; Intrade pegs his re-election odds at 71.5%; and Nate Silver of The New York Times says there is a 91.6% chance of Romney losing.

I won’t be particularly excited if Obama is reëlected—his record of diminishing civil liberties, assassinations by executive order, killings of innocents by drone, and punishing whistleblowers appalls this once-enthusiastic 2008 volunteer.

But I’ll be relieved if Romney is not elected. As Hudson’s Justin Weaver quipped on Facebook: “I don't think America is ready for a white President.”

With similarly dispiriting choices on the local level, there are a number of Democrats who may eke out victories who otherwise would have gotten crushed, because several Tea Party candidates managed to upset incumbents in the Republican primaries, dividing the GOP vote. Cheryl Roberts claimed environmental bona fides are a grotesquely cynical joke, while the main effect of Robin Andrews getting to the State Senate for two years (and one tends to suspect it would be for just one term) would be to hand the Claverack Supervisor seat back to the County Republicans in 2013.

Didi Barrett at least is one (rare) upstate Democrat who seems to believe what she says, and is willing to stand up for issues that matter to her constituents, and deserves support for her bid to return to the State Assembly. Richard Mott likewise has proven himself worthy of a judicial position, by distinguishing himself as an able attorney—and would merit a vote regardless of what party line he ran on.

(Note: The above Presidential numbers are odds, not predictions of popular vote percentages. Whatever happens, soothsaying will remain a growth industry.)

R.I.P. Drayton Grant

Drayton Grant, the able and unfailingly jolly Rhinebeck attorney, died Wednesday morning after a battle with cancer.

Her law partner John Lyons writes:

“It was an honor and a privilege for me to be Drayton’s friend and partner. Her tremendous capacity to love her fellow man and her community and to work hard for both, along with her rock-solid integrity and character, her easy sense of humor and boundless joie de vivre, her intelligence and indomitable spirit were known by all. These are just a few of the qualities which I loved in her and which, over the course of our almost 20 years as partners and friends, changed me in so many ways for the better. Her positive imprint on those she knew and loved and on her community will be a lasting testament to her spirit and her life.”

Her obituary (with information about calling hours and funeral time) can be found here.

Signs of the times

Spotted in Hillsdale (NY).