By Associated Press
Hammondsport, NY – A veteran of Albany politics, Republican John "Randy" Kuhl Jr., defeated Democratic newcomer, Samara Barend, in a race for Congress in the Southern Tier, and said it was time to move past the harsh campaign rhetoric.
With most precincts reporting Tuesday night, Kuhl said winning took a little longer than expected. Said the 61-year-old Kuhl, "Politics ends tonight. Our work starts now. We need to work together."
The campaign to succeed retiring Congressman Amo Houghton finished with harsh television commercials casting Barend as devious and untrustworthy and Kuhl as a drunken driver whose breakup with his wife in the 1990s shed doubts on his fitness to hold office.
The 27-year-old Barend, a former Hillary Clinton aide, said her campaign gave a good fight, their performance was "historic in a district like this where Democrats are so outnumbered."