Congresswoman-Elect Ann Marie Buerkle

Finally, after weeks of canvassing, absentee ballot counting, and legal challenges, Rep. Dan Maffei (D) has conceded to Ann Marie Buerkle (R) in the NY25 race.

A press conference is scheduled for 4PM today.

Robert Harding just tweeted the news.

I’ve been very critical of Rep. Maffei, but today I’m happy that he’s finally done the right thing.

Congresswoman-Elect Ann Marie Buerkle will be the first woman to represent the district. This is also a historic win for the GOP, as they will hold more seats than they have since 1949.

Update: I just got off the phone with a member of Buerkle’s staff and confirmed that Dan Maffei has conceded the race. The press conference will be held at the campaign headquarters in Dewitt.

Update 2: Stacy McCain linked and has Maffei’s statement. This win brings the count of Republicans in the House up to 242.

It’s not looking like Randy Altschuler in NY1 will make it 243 – the count is final and he’s behind incumbent Democrat Tim Bishop by 235 votes. There are some contested ballots yet to be counted, but it’s doubtful Altschuler will win this one.

Update 3: I’ll be tweeting from the presser and will update later with video.

Update 4: The press conference was very crowded. Congresswoman-Elect Buerkle’s tone was serious. She thanked her supporters and said her first priority will be the economy and jobs. A reporter mentioned how close the race was, hinting that perhaps she should move to the left to satisfy everyone. She indicated that she will not compromise her values: less government, less spending and lower taxes. She also expressed a desire to be on the Energy and Commerce and the Armed Services Committees.

After the press conference I was told that Rep. Maffei was gracious when he called Buerkle, and promised to work with her on the transition.

Memeorandum has a thread if you’re interested in reading what others have to say. Funny, they didn’t link to the first blog to post this news.

Red Dog Report linked – thanks!

Update 5: I should have video to post a little bit later.

Ruby Slippers linked!

Update 6: Dan Maffei wasn’t quite so gracious in the statement he released.

The electorate may have changed tremendously from 2008 to 2010 in terms of who turned out to vote but I kept my pledges to the people who elected me and I will forever be proud of that. Not only do I not apologize for my positions on the stimulus, the health care bill, financial reform, and the credit card bill, but my only regret is that there were not more opportunities to make healthcare more affordable to people and businesses and get more resources to the region for needed public projects – particularly transportation and public schools.

I am also deeply proud of my commitment to energy reform and mitigating global climate change. Thank you again to the experts and concerned citizens who stood by me. Denying the clear facts and need for action on this issue either out of political expediency or plain ignorance hurts our local economy and threatens our planet.

What a jerk. He wishes he could have spent more money and raised our energy prices, and took at jab at Ann Marie over her stance on climate change. But he does wish her luck. She, and the rest of Congress, is going to need it to clean up the mess created by the current Congress.

Update 7: Da TechGuy linked. This will give us something to talk about on his radio show Saturday night. (I’ll post details later in the week.)

Nassau Tea Party linked!