DUTCHESS COUNTY – Democratic Dutchess County Legislator Lisa Kaul fended off challenges from Poughkeepsie City Councilman Evan Menist and former Newburgh Councilwoman Gay Lee in Tuesday’s primary to be the Democratic opponent of Senator Rob Rolison (R-Poughkeepsie). Unofficially, Kaul garnered roughly 61 percent of the votes cast in Senate District 39.
Kaul, who resides in the Town of Poughkeepsie, is the unofficial winner, receiving approximately 8,251 of the 13,495 votes cast by eligible Democrats. The district, which includes portions of Dutchess, Putnam, and Orange Counties, has 80,146 Democrats; 53,199 in Dutchess, 20,605 in Orange, and 6,342 in Putnam.
*In Dutchess County, the incomplete results indicate Kaul received 6,138 votes, Menist garnered 2,567, and Gay Lee received 475.
In Orange County, Kaul received 929 votes, Menist received 709, and Lee received 350.
In Putnam County, 1,184 votes were cast for Kaul, 765 for Menist, and 155 for Lee.
Before all of the districts were reported to the State, Councilman Menist, whose results indicated he was way behind, but ahead of Lee, called Legislator Kaul to concede. “He was very gracious,” Kaul told Mid-Hudson News. “He vowed to support my candidacy with help from the City of Poughkeepsie.”
“All three of us ran a good race,” Kaul said, noting that all three candidates spoke to the issues, with affordability being the primary issue. Unity was another issue that resonated, with people telling us they want their communities to come back together.”
Kaul noted that her campaign was not a traditional one. “I didn’t have a consultant. I have a group of women who were instrumental in this win. This is proof that ordinary people can come together and do great things.”
*As of 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday, the New York State Board of Elections indicated 131 of the 136 election districts had submitted results. The tallies were showing that five election districts in Dutchess County had not submitted their results.
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