Altschuler ’93 falls behind in Congressional race

The Congressional campaign of Republican Randy Altschuler ’93 took a major hit Tuesday. With the counting of absentee ballots coming to a close, two-term incumbent and Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop held a 235-vote lead.

Bishop’s victory in New York’s 1st Congressional District has not been certified, with several steps still left in the election process.

During the counting of the absentee ballots, Altschuler’s campaign challenged 1,156 before they were opened, while Bishop’s campaign challenged 733. A judge will rule on the validity of these ballots, though it is generally considered advantageous to have challenged fewer ballots.

Additionally, some military ballots could still arrive by mail.

Bishop’s likely victory comes after a series of swings following Election Day. Though Bishop was initially thought to have a lead of more than 3,000 votes, a reporting error was discovered showing that Altschuler actually led by 356 votes.

But Bishop appears to have accrued a large enough absentee voter advantage to push him back over the edge.

“We are very confident that Tim Bishop has won this election,” Bishop’s spokesman, Jon Schneider, told The North Shore Sun on Tuesday.