ALBANY COUNTY — “I hope this blue, blue, blue news keeps coming,” said Assemblywoman Patricia A. Fahy as she addressed a crowd of Albany County Democrats on Election Night.

Fahy, who has represented District 109 for a decade, won the newly reconfigured district with nearly three-quarters of the vote.

The mood at the Italian-American Community Center where Democrats gathered on Tuesday night was one of relief turned to joy as results rolled in. For Albany County at least, Democrats dominated.

“Maybe because the pundits scared us for these last few weeks, maybe it was the best thing that could have happened so we know not to trust the polls,” Fahy told the crowd. “As of 2016, we learned not to take anything for granted,” she said, referencing Donald Trump’s election.

“I always say I never take a vote for granted and I think that’s what happened here,” said Fahy. “We knew to wake up, mobilize votes and I’m really hoping that tonight will be a great night for all of those that I serve with,” said Fahy, naming State Senator Neil Breslin, Congressman Paul Tonko, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado.

Fahy also said she’d heard the $4.2 billion environmental bond act was set to pass.

“The more we invest in the environment, the more we prevent all these multi-billion-dollar weather disasters that we have to bail out,” she said.

Statewide, with 63 percent of the bond-issues votes counted by 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, 69.1 percent were in favor of the bond issue, compared to 30.9 percent opposed.

Before midnight, the Associated Press had called the Congressional race for Tonko, the incumbent Democrat with 54.8 percent of the vote to Republican challenger Liz Joy’s 45.2 percent.

With 90 percent of the votes in for the gubernatorial race, Democrat Hochul appeared to be the winner with 52.9 percent of the vote to Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin’s 47.1 percent.

Similarly Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, appeared to be the clear winner with 56 percent of the vote over Republican challenger Joe Pinion’s 43 percent.

“This is a tough time for this nation and the world,” Tonko told the Albany Democrats, citing the global pandemic and inflation.

“We need to … navigate through the tough waters that surround us,” he said.

Speaking on Election Night, even as it looked as if the House would go Republican, Tonko cited its work to address climate change, quell violence, protect rights challenged by the United States Supreme Court, and strengthen democracy.

He spoke of getting through the pandemic “in a scientifically-based way” and lauded the bipartisan infrastructure bill to get too-long-delayed essential projects underway. He also spoke of capping the price on insulin and allowing negotiations with pharmaceuticals.

“That’s progress … The voters out there listened,” said Tonko.

Assembly District 109

Fahy garnered 26,962 votes, 74.09 percent, compared to 9,383 votes, 25.78 percent, for her Republican challenger, Alicia Purdy, according to unofficial results from the county’s board of election.

Neither candidate had a small-party line. Absentee votes have yet to be counted.

Fahy leapt into politics in 2012 after John McEneny, the longtime assemblyman representing the 109th, retired. With a grassroots campaign, Fahy bested her five opponents in the Democratic primary, winning 37 percent of the vote in the Democrat-dominated district.

She has easily won each November election since.

District 109 this year was reconfigured after the 2020 census; it continues to cover all of New Scotland but only the southern part of Guilderland, below Route 20, which includes Altamont, and none of Bethlehem. Instead, the district now includes more of Albany, including Purdy’s home. Fahy also lives in Albany.

Purdy, who ran for Albany mayor last year, has worked as a journalist and is also a musician.

The two candidates voiced starkly divergent views during the campaign on gun policies, abortion, and environmental issues. Purdy opposed an amendment to the state constitution that would solidify the right to abortion while Fahy would support such an amendment.

Fahy fully supports the legislation New York passed, now being challenged, after the United States Supreme Court overruled New York’s century-old law requiring a license to carry concealed weapons in public places while Purdy said she was opposed to the government infringing on “our God-given right to bear arms.”

Fahy supported the environmental bond act while Purdy said she had other priorities.

According to the state’s board of elections, Fahy by mid-October had raised $177,971 through the committee “Friends of Patricia Fahy,” most of which were contributions under $1,000. The board of elections has no candidate or committee records for Purdy’s assembly race.

Guilderland

Guilderland had two uncontested races — for town justice and for town councilperson.

Jacob M. Crawford got 9,237 votes (76.92 percent) on the Democratic line and 2,617 votes on the Conservative line (21.79 percent) to fill the Guilderland Town Board seat vacated by Laurel Bohl on July 12, according to unofficial results from the Albany County Board of Elections. There were also 154 write-in votes.

Crawford is already serving in that role, having been appointed by the town board in September.

Crawford, who chairs the Albany County Democratic Committee, told the crowd at the Italian-American Community Center on Election Night, “This has been a great night for Albany Democrats, let me tell you.

“They tried to write the story … before the votes were passed and guess what, Albany Democrats came out to vote … They were wrong … independent voters came back and voted overwhelmingly.”

Incumbent town justice Bryan M. Clenahan ran on three party lines.

He received 8,880 Democratic votes (72.30 percent), 2,482 Conservative votes (20.21 percent) and 834 votes (.71 percent) on the Working Families Party line.

Clenahan was elected in 2018 to fill the post vacated by Richard Sherwood after Sherwood was charged with, and later pleaded guilty to, stealing from family trusts he oversaw as a private attorney.

Hilltowns

There were also several uncontested elections in the Helderberg Hilltowns.

In Rensselaerville, there were 88 write-in votes for a town justice post with no names yet available. No candidates had been listed on the ballot.

In Berne, Albert A. Thiem, who was appointed to the town board at the start of 2022 to fill a seat vacated by Bonnie Conklin, got 814 Republican votes (76.36 percent) and 214 votes (20.08 percent) on the Conservative line. There were also 36 write-in votes.

In Westerlo, Peter J. Mahan Sr., who was appointed to the town board on March 15 to fill Matt Kryzak’s seat when Kryzak became supervisor, received 1,108 votes (97.97 percent) on the Republican line; there were also 23 write-in votes.