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GLENVILLE — Republican politico Liz Joy has ruled out a third bid for the 20th Congressional District.
The Trump-aligned politician, one of incumbent Democrat Paul Tonko’s most outspoken opponents in recent history, said on social media that she plans on pivoting her attention to advocate for state-level “election integrity.”
“People locally and nationally supported our race,” Joy said on Facebook. “Together, we were able to bring serious national attention to the NY Capital Region 20th Congressional District, something that had never been done before. It is a direct result of citizen grass-roots support, our strong common sense message, and daily interacting with the people that live here and work here.”
For Albany County Republican Chairman Randy Bashwinger, news of Joy bowing out of the race on Monday came as a surprise. He described the “aggressive Republican” as a skilled fundraiser and energetic campaigner.
“I’m sure we’ll find somebody, but it’s going to be tough to find anybody as strong as she was,” Bashwinger told the Daily Gazette.
The Glenville blogger-turned-politician expects to stay involved with the Schenectady County Republican Committee and the New York State Federation of Republican Women. When asked via email if she would be involved in finding a new challenger, Joy said: “I hope someone will step up to challenge Paul Tonko.”
The 73-year-old Democratic officeholder defeated Joy by more than 20 percentage points in 2020 and roughly 10 points two years later. With northern boundaries pushed up by redistricting, Joy defeated Tonko for the first time in Saratoga County by 4,237 votes, one of the brightest spots of her run this past fall.
Joy and Tonko are essentially antipodes — political opposites who’ve labeled each other radicals while holding vastly different views on firearm regulations, abortion and other culture-war issues.
Tonko’s campaign last year frequently condemned her for her presence at a rally outside the U.S. Capitol at the time of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot — an appearance she said was peaceful and distant from the violent crowds. She blasted Tonko for only accepting one of three debate requests in the fall.
“I congratulate Mrs. Joy on two hard fought campaigns and I wish her well,” said Tonko in a statement on her recent decision.
Elevate PAC, a political action committee spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Saratoga, helped fund part of Joy’s 2022 campaign. In a statement Monday, Stefanik called Joy a “dear friend” and “inspiring patriot.”
“I look forward to continuing to work with Liz Joy as she begins her next chapter to restore election integrity and to secure our elections in New York,” Stefanik said in a statement.
Joy’s attorney requested an audit of the 20th Congressional District election following her defeat last year, which the state denied. She claimed the state voter rolls have never been “formally audited.”
New York State Board of Elections spokesperson Jennifer Wilson said in an email that Joy is “factually incorrect” on the auditing process.
Every two years, the state BOE audits county election boards to check whether voter tabs are being properly processed and tabulated in the system. Additionally, the state conducts an annual mail check process to scan for active and inactive voter registration numbers.
Joy claimed that voter rolls are chock full of inaccurate, antiquated and faulty data, which the state BOE has also rejected.
“The board also monitors activity within the state database weekly to ensure counties are processing registrations, removing duplicate records, and purging deceased voters,” said Wilson.
Concerns over voting procedures have been voiced near and far among conservative activists since the 2020 election. That year, Donald Trump claimed that presidential election was rigged in battleground states across the country, resulting in dozens of unsuccessful Republican-backed lawsuits against election boards across the country.
Tyler A. McNeil can be reached at 518-395-3047 or [email protected]. Follow him on Facebook at Tyler A. McNeil, Daily Gazette or Twitter @TylerAMcNeil
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