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Putnam Decides: Congressional, Legislative Races Among Top Races

PUTNAM COUNTY, N.Y. -- While the presidential race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump has garnered the lion's share of public attention, Putnam residents will also determined the outcome of Tuesday of a series of high-stakes Congressional and state races.

Election 2016

Election 2016

Photo Credit: File
Democratic incumbent Sean Patrick Maloney (left) faces off against Republican challenger Phil Oliva (right) for the 18th Congressional District.

Democratic incumbent Sean Patrick Maloney (left) faces off against Republican challenger Phil Oliva (right) for the 18th Congressional District.

Photo Credit: Photo Collage: (left photo from Congress, right from Tom Auchterlonie)

The seat for New York's 18th Congressional District (which is the only one in Putnam) is up for grabs, as Democratic incumbent Sean Patrick Maloney is seeking a third two-year term in a race against Republican challenger Phil Oliva, who is a top aide to Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino.

Information on Maloney's campaign can be found on his Facebook page, while details on Oliva's can be found on his Facebook page.

Putnam residents will also determine the outcome of a pair of contested state senate races.

Running in the 40th state senate district are Republican incumbent Terrence Murphy and Democratic challenger Alison Boak. The two have aggressively attacked the other's records and professional histories. 

Murphy's campaign Facebook page can be read here, while Boak's can be read here.

The 40th district covers eastern Putnam.

Western Putnam residents, meanwhile, will decide the outcome of the election in the 41st state senate district. The race features Republican incumbent Sue Serino against the man she unseated two years ago, former state senator and Democrat Terry Gipson.

Serino's Facebook page can be viewed here, while Gipson's can be viewed here.

Putnam residents also have a pair a state assembly races to vote on.

Eastern Putnam residents will decide the outcome of the race for the 94th assembly district, which is an open election because Republican incumbent Steve Katz declined to run for re-election. Facing off are Republican Kevin Byrne, a Mahopac resident, and Brian Higbie, a Yorktown Democrat. Higbie's Facebook page can be read here, while Byrne's can be read here.

Western Putnam residents, who are located in the 95th assembly district, will decide between longtime Democratic incumbent Sandy Galef and Republican challenger Greg Purdy. Galef's Facebook page can be read here, while Purdy's can be read here.

At the local level, three seats on the Putnam County Legislature are up for elections. 

Of the seats, the only contested one is the sixth district, a territory that includes the eastern and northern parts of Southeast. The race is open because Republican incumbent Roger Gross declined to run for another term. It features Republican Paul Jonke and Democrat Jen Cassidy. Jonke's Facebook page can be read here. Cassidy does not appear to have a Facebook page, although information about her can be viewed on the Southeast Democrats' page.

Races for the other two county legislative seats are uncontested. In District 5, Republican incumbent Carl Albano is poised to be re-elected. The same goes for Republican newcomer Neal Sullivan in District 9, who is running to fill a seat that will be vacated by Kevin Wright.

Residents across Putnam will also decide on a contested county judge's race, which features Republican incumbent James Reitz against Democratic challenger Gina Capone. Reitz's campaign Facebook page can be read here. Information on Capone can be found on her campaign's website.

Philipstown residents, meanwhile, will vote on a contested race for town justice, who are vying for an open seat. The candidates are Democrat Camille Linson and Republican Faye Thorpe. 

Thorpe's Facebook page can be read here, while Linson's can be read here.

Remaining uncontested races in Putnam include Carmel Town Justice, with Republican incumbent Joseph J. Spofford, Jr. running; Putnam County Coroner, with Republican incumbent Daniel M. Stephens, II running; and two Brewster village trustee seats, with local-party line incumbents Mary Bryde and Tom Boissonnault running.

Putnam's League of Women Voters chapter recently held a forum in Mahopac that featured remarks from candidates in most of the contested races, with the exception of the Congressional. The video can be watched here.

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