Jefferson County, New York, which is on Lake Ontario, has been represented by a Republican in the U.S. House starting with the 1854 election, the year the Republican Party was born. However, as a result of the November 3, 2009, special election in the 23rd district, Jefferson County will be represented by Bill Owens, the Democratic nominee who appears to have won.

Jefferson County’s largest city is Watertown. In the 1852 election, Jefferson County had been its own U.S. House district, and had elected an Independent to the U.S. House. Jefferson County hadn’t been represented by a Democrat in the U.S. House since a Democrat, Willard Ives, won the 1850 election in that part of New York.

Ironically, the new Congressman in the 23rd district, Owens, is a registered independent, even though he was the Democratic nominee.

The New Jersey gubernatorial returns are: Chris Christie (Republican) 48.8%, Jon Corzine (Democratic) 44.6%, Chris Daggett (independent) 5.7%, others on the ballot, not yet broken down, .9%. Daggett is the first person to run for Governor of New Jersey in November, who was not a Democratic or Republican nominee, to have exceeded 5% of the vote, since 1913.

In 1913, Progressive Party nominee Everett Colby polled 11.0%. Before that, no one had polled 5% for Governor of New Jersey other than the major party nominees since 1886, when the Prohibition Party’s Clinton Fisk polled 8.6%.

The 2009 election produced the lowest percentage of the vote for a Democratic nominee for New Jersey Governor since 1985.

Preliminary election returns for the special U.S. House election in California’s 10th district are:
Democrat John Garamendi 55.54%; Republican Dave Harmer 39.77%; Green Jeremy Cloward 1.99%; Peace & Freedom Mary McIlroy 1.48%; American Independent Party Jerry Denham 1.23%.

When this district last voted, in November 2008, the results had been: Democratic 65.20%; Republican 31.10%; Peace & Freedom 3.70%.