With Republicans Chris Collins and Stefan Mychajliw ousting Democratic incumbents, and State Senator Mark Grisanti holding his seat in a largely Democratic district, the G.O.P. enjoyed a solid election night on the local political scene.According to Buffalo News political reporter Bob McCarthy, each race posed different challenges.
From McCarthy's perspective, Collins defeated incumbent Kathy Hochul by successfully attaching her to the policies of President Obama, who is unpopular in the 27th district.
During his Wednesday morning political conversation on WBFO's Morning Edition, McCarthy gave credit to Grisanti for shaping himself as a "New York Republican in the old Rockefeller sense of the word."
McCarthy says it's a moderate path that has been followed successfully by former Congressman Jack Quinn and former Governor George Pataki.
No doubt that former television journalist Stefan Mychajliw enjoyed a boost from his name recognition in ousting the Democratic Erie County Comptroller David Schenk.
But McCarthy says, "You have to give Stefan credit" for his surprise victory.
"No other Republican wanted to touch (the Comptroller's race)" during a Presidential election year when the county's majority of Democratic voters would be heading to the polls.