HILLTOWNS — Janet Tweed is set to face Republican Assemblyman Chris Tague in the 102nd Assembly District general election this November, after Tweed narrowly beat her opponent in the Democratic primary.

Although the primary results have yet to be certified by the New York State Board of Elections — which will happen later this month, the board’s director of public information told The Enterprise — official county totals show that Tweed, a member of the Delhi Village Board, received 77 more votes than Mary Finneran, an activist and retired high-school teacher, in a race that pulled more than 3,500 votes altogether. 

The 102nd Assembly District comprises Greene and Schoharie counties in their entirety, along with parts of Albany, Delaware, and Otsego counties. 

Tweed led by a similar margin immediately after Election Night on June 25, but did not declare victory until 10 days later because, as she explained in a statement, “The vote was close, democracy matters, and I respect the voters of this district.” 

“I thank my family, those who have helped with my campaign, and, of course, everyone who voted in the primary,” her victory statement said. “I thank my fellow candidate, Mary Finneran, whose passion and dedication to our community is inspiring. Her tireless efforts to protect our environment will benefit generations of New Yorkers. I also thank Board of Elections staff and every poll worker across our district, without whom our democracy could not function.”

Finneran declined to comment when reached by The Enterprise after Tweed claimed victory, referring instead to a statement on her website, which reads, “Please know I checked with the NYS Board of Elections and there is no official count nor winner yet. According to my calculations I am down between 77 and 79 votes. When the State BOE declares an official winner, I will post a very gracious announcement! Might be a bit. Peace, Mary.” 

The New York State Board of Elections Director of Public Information, Kathleen McGrath, told The Enterprise this week that the results are expected to be certified on July 29. However, each county has certified its own results as of Friday, July 12. 

Although Tweed got the most votes overall, Finneran had won the most counties, with the majority of primary voters in Albany, Greene, and Schoharie backing her candidacy. Tweed’s biggest boost came from Delaware County, where she lives, having gotten 642 votes to Finneran’s 167. 

Finneran had outraised Tweed by about $2,000, receiving $9,515 from 160 contributions, while Tweed received $7,755 from 136 contributions, according to state filings. 

Tweed told The Enterprise in a campaign interview that she intends to bring her experience in getting things at the local level to the state office, and that she looks forward to the greater impact she could have as an assemblywoman. 

With a background in local government, she said that she understands “the persistence of seeing an idea become legislation, become a program or project that succeeds and is sustainable.”

Her primary focus, she said, would be making health care affordable and accessible. 

As a physical therapist, she has worked primarily in hospitals but has also worked with patients at home, and has seen “firsthand how important adequate health care is — being able to get to appointments or have help come to your home — and how it can be the difference between a patient never walking again and a patient being able to work hard with me and get to walk their granddaughter down the aisle for her wedding.”

Tweed faces an uphill battle in the general election, since the rural district is largely Republican. 

Tague, a former Schoharie County dairy farmer and executive who first took office in 2018 following a special election, has handily beaten back all his Democratic challengers since.  

“Our current assembly representative, Chris Tague, is a surprisingly unproductive member of the legislature, having contributed to only a small handful of bills that have actually become law,” Tweed wrote in her statement earlier this month. “On issues of fundamental human rights – for workers, for women, for LGBTQ+ people – Tague is consistently on the wrong side of history. The 102nd district deserves better. 

“I look forward to sharing my positive, productive vision over the next four months. For those who have capacity to volunteer or donate, I welcome your support. Onward to November!”

On July 30, Finneran posted a statement on Facebook, congratulating Tweed, whom she called a “worthy candidate and wonderful human being.”

“Although the nature of a primary is such that differences have been exaggerated, and similarities have been diminished and minimally discussed we must, for the first time since 1973, for most of this district, bring a democrat to the assembly for the 102,” Finneran wrote. 

“It is critical that our differences are now diminished and our likenesses, like a love for humanity over profit (for one, pass the NY Health Act!), a concern for the environment and nature, including halting climate catastrophe, a belief in facts and science, become the platform from which we, the democrats, will win.  We must win, there is no other option for the planet and it’s people.”