Rice Declares Victory After Early Election Night Lead

Garden City NY

04 November, 2020

12:06 PM

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GARDEN CITY, NY — With all of the votes cast on Election Day and earlier counted, Democrat Kathleen Rice has declared victory in her re-election race against Republican Douglas Tuman as she has a four point lead. Rice, the two-term incumbent, had 147,425 votes (51.2 percent) compared to Tuman's 134,225 (47.3 percent). There are, however, thousands of absentee ballots still to count. But the majority of those are expected to swing the vote even more in Rice's favor. Green Party candidate Joseph Naham received 2,017 votes (0.7 percent) Rice declared victory in the race early Wednesday morning. "It is an extraordinary honor to be re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Serving the people of New York's Fourth Congressional District is the greatest privilege of my life, and I am eager to continue fighting for Long Island in Congress," Rice said in a statement. "We are still awaiting the final vote tally, and every absentee ballot must be counted, but the result of the election is clear. I want to congratulate my opponents for running a hard race. I commend anyone who is willing to put themselves out there to serve their community. As we await the final results from across the country, I am hopeful that this will be a good night for our nation. I believe we can move forward from this election stronger and more unified. Long Islanders and Americans of all political backgrounds want an end to the dysfunction in Washington, and we can only achieve that if we work together. Thank you so much to every voter, volunteer and supporter who have put their faith in me over these past six years. I cannot wait to get back to work on your behalf!" Tuman has not yet conceded the race. Nassau County has received tens of thousands of absentee ballots so far, and will continue to receive them up to Nov. 10. However, it is likely that those ballots will help cement Rice's victory, as more Democrats requested absentee ballots this year than Republicans.