Jacqualine Berger

Not all the votes are counted yet -- delayed by the massive number of mail-in ballots filed -- but some candidates from the June 23 election are sounding confident of the outcome.

Chris Jacobs seems to believe he's won the NY-27 while Nate McMurray seems sure he's lost and Jacqualine Berger has declared victory in the Democratic primary for the 61st State Senate District.

Richard Siebert, the Republican commissioner for the Genesee County Board of Elections, said it will be 24 to 48 hours before local unofficial results will be released.

That said, based on what he's seen so far, it looks like McMurray will have 400 more votes locally from mail-in ballots than Jacobs in the special election to fill the unexpired term of convicted criminal Chris Collins. 

Siebert believes McMurray won every precinct in the City of Batavia.

Still, that won't be enough for McMurray to close the gap on in-person voting on June 23, when McMurray polled only 1,565 votes in Genesee County to 4,536 to Jacobs.

Results also aren't released yet for other counties but the campaigns typically have poll watchers in place during vote counting so they have some idea what to expect when tallies are released.

Last night, Jacobs released this statement:

"With the counting completed today and the outcome reaffirmed, I’m eager to get to work for the people of Western New York as their representative in Congress. I care deeply about this community and I will do all I can to serve it with honesty and integrity. I would also like to personally thank each Board of Election member and employee who worked tirelessly throughout this process and the entire election season. Conducting an election under these circumstances was challenging for all involved and I appreciate the sacrifices made.”

McMurray has not released a statement but he did tweet about the election outcome.

Jacobs,

All that cash, all those Trump endorsements, the lies, your family’s billions...

Got you a skin of your teeth 1.9% lead in a County you were a State Senator in.

You struggle against a team of volunteers and guy from community college.

We’re coming for you.

Nov 3

— Nate McMurray for Congress 2020 (@Nate_McMurray) July 9, 2020

In the State Senate primary, Democrat Jan Berger released this statement:

Educator Jacqualine Berger has declared victory in the Democratic Primary Election to run for the New York State Senate seat vacated by longtime Republican State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer. Berger was victorious against Kim Smith, formerly of the Monroe County Department of Public Health, and Joan Elizabeth Seamans, a small-business owner. 

The race was too-close-to-call on the night of the election. After all the votes were tallied, Berger edged Smith by 141 votes. Berger received 9,246 votes (39%), while Smith earned 9,105 (38%) and Seamans received 5,475 votes (23%).  

“I am honored to have won this close election against two outstanding candidates. I congratulate both of my opponents for running strong campaigns under challenging circumstances,” said State Senate candidate Jacqualine Berger. “I am looking forward to the general election campaign, where we can work together to give the district the representation it deserves.”

Erie County Democratic Committee Chairman Jeremy Zellner said, “We endorsed Jacqualine Berger because she understands the needs of the 61st State Senate district. I am proud of her victory in the Primary Election and look forward to supporting her this fall. The Democratic Party is united like never before, and ready to take on the Republican extremists.”   

Jacqualine Berger is the Deputy Supervisor in the Town of Amherst and an educator at Empire State College. Berger has a master’s degree in Early Childhood and Special Education from Tulane University. She is a lifelong advocate for individuals with special needs, running a local Challenger Baseball program for children and adults with disabilities since 1991. In 2019, Empire State College awarded Berger the Altes Prize for Exemplary Community Service.

Berger will face politician Ed Rath in the election this fall.

Submitted photo and press release:

Jacqualine Berger, a labor activist, and current Town Board member and Deputy Supervisor in the Town of Amherst, formally enters the race for the 61st Senate District.

Berger was first elected to the Amherst Town Board in 2017 and was the top vote-getter that year. In 2020, she was appointed Amherst Deputy Supervisor.

Berger is no stranger to serving the community. She’s spent her career as an educator, currently teaching at SUNY Empire State College, and a labor leader, locally and nationally, through her work with New York State United Teachers and American Federation of  Teachers. Berger has a master’s degree in Early Childhood and Special Education from Tulane University. She’s a lifelong advocate for individuals with special needs, running a local Challenger Baseball program for children and adults with disabilities since 1991. In 2019, Empire State College awarded Berger the Altes Prize for Exemplary Community Service.

Berger believes she has the qualifications and ability to bring representation to the 61st Senate seat that encompasses parts of Erie, Monroe, and Genesee counties. She promises to utilize her position in the Democratic Senate majority to bring attention and State resources to the district and work with local municipalities to assess their needs. She cites the need for updated resources in school districts and improvements to aging infrastructure throughout the district as major proponents of her campaign.

“It is extremely important to the Town of Amherst that we have a State Senator who shares our values and understands our community. As an Amherst Town Council member and Deputy Town Supervisor, Jacqui Berger possesses the knowledge of our area and the skills to be an excellent and effective Senator in the 61st District,” said Assemblymember Karen McMahon.

In her role as Town Boardmember, Berger works directly with New York State to secure funding for projects throughout Amherst. Recently, she aided efforts to secure $783,000 for the Sattler Dellwood Park Green Infrastructure and Storm Water Project. Amherst will use the funds from this Green Innovation Grant Program to construct a bio-retention area, porous roller hockey rink and a porous parking lot.

Town of Amherst Supervisor Brian Kulpa stated his support for Berger, “As an educator, Jacqui is a champion for students, and as Deputy Supervisor, she is a champion for Amherst residents. She takes taken bold actions to improve Amherst, and I’m confident that her values will make her a champion for this Senate district. I am proud to support her.”

Berger is a resident of Amherst, where she’s lived with her family for the past 32 years. In addition to her work in the town and with labor, she serves as liaison to Nature View Park Advisory Committee, Planning Board, Youth Board, Recreation Commission, and Zoning Board of Appeals.