Nan Hayworth defeats Sean Maloney in Independence Party primary
WASHINGTON – Former Republican Rep. Nan Hayworth of Bedford gained momentum in her effort to reclaim her House seat with a primary victory Tuesday over Democratic Rep. Sean Maloney of Cold Spring.
Maloney called the former congresswoman around 10:30 p.m. to congratulate her on her victory in the Independence Party primary.
Unofficial results reported by the state Board of Elections showed Hayworth with a 73-vote lead, 685-612, with just over 50 percent of precincts reporting in the four counties in the 18th Congressional District's Hudson Valley area.
"The people who supported me have sent a message they want Washington to get out of the way and let us grow jobs and opportunity in the Hudson Valley economy," Hayworth said.
At stake Tuesday was a ballot line that could help determine November's winner in the Hudson Valley swing district. The district is rated as leaning Democrat but was considered a tossup in 2012.
"I look forward to a debate about our visions for the country this fall,'' Maloney said in his concession statement. "I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and keep putting points on the board for my hard-working Hudson Valley neighbors."
The district covers all of Putnam and Orange counties, the northeast corner of Westchester County and the southeast section of Dutchess County.
Neither Maloney nor Hayworth had the Independence Party line in 2012, when Maloney unseated the freshman Republican by only 10,796 votes of the 276,894 votes cast.
Maloney will have the Democratic and Working Families ballot lines in November, as he did in 2012. And Hayworth will once again have the Republican and Conservative Party lines.
This year, the 18th District was the only congressional district in the state with an Independence Party primary.
There are 22,506 active members of the Independence Party in the district. About half live in Orange County, with the rest split roughly equally among the three other counties.
The Independence Party allowed the primary because both candidates were considered "exemplary,'' according to the state party chairman, Frank MacKay.
Hayworth, 54, an ophthalmologist from Bedford, said last week she expected turnout to be light. Her campaign has sent several targeted mailings to members of the Independence Party.
Maloney, a 47-year-old attorney, has conducted two telephone town halls with Independence Party members.
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