Jacobs declares himself winner in special election and primary for 27th District
Chris Jacobs is declaring himself the winner in a special election for the 27th Congressional District and also in a Republican primary.
“We did it, it has been a long, challenging and ever-changing election, nevertheless the people of Western New York made their voices heard overwhelmingly for strong, conservative leadership!” Jacobs said in a statement. “With the commanding lead I have amassed, I am confident in declaring victory in both the Special and Primary elections. Now I am looking forward to getting to Congress and getting right to work fighting alongside our great President for the people of Western New York. I would like to thank all the volunteers, supporters, party leaders, and elected officials who have worked so hard to make this happen, and I would especially like to thank President Trump for his early and consistent support throughout this entire election, I am deeply grateful.”
Nate McMurray, the main challenger to Jacobs in the special election, said there are still tens of thousands of absentee ballots to be counted.
“How can you declare victory before the ballots are counted?” McMurray said Tuesday night. “There are more ballots still out there, uncounted, than people that voted in-person today. As we have always said, we will fight for every single vote. Chris always wanted to be crowned. The coronation will have to wait. They had to bring the whole Trump family into this to help drag him across the finish line. He can peacock. We will talk in two weeks.”
Jacobs and McMurray could face each other again in November. The special election was to fill the remaining months of a term vacated by Chris Collins. The November election will be for a full two-year term.
Jacobs has a big lead in the Republican primary against Beth Parlato and Stefan Mychajliw.
“I called Chris Jacobs a few minutes ago to congratulate him on his victory in the Republican Primary,” Mychajliw said in a statement to the media. “I’m thankful for the support I’ve received in this race. We said it was important to let voters decide, and they have. While not victorious, I’m proud of the race we ran. We stayed above the fray, and ran a positive campaign on the issues. I’m a loyal Republican – always have been, always will be. Just like I have in the past, I will work hard to keep NY-27 in Republican hands in November.”