PRIMARY 2010: A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS1

September 17, 2010 For More Information, call Bill Mahoney (518) 817-3738

Despite the rhetoric, the results from the 2010 primary are remarkably similar to the two
previous primaries. Here’s a look at the numbers:

• The number of incumbent legislators facing challengers on either the

Democratic or Republican lines went up by 38% this year over 2008:
Number of
Primary Year Challengers
2006 21
2008 24
2010 33

• However, the average percentage of the vote received by incumbents

increased slightly:
Average
Total Votes Total Votes Percentage of
Primar Received by Received by Pct. Of Voters Vote Received by
y Year Incs. Challengers Supporting Incs. Incumbents
2006 122,135 92,512 56.90% 59.55%
2008 148,750 86,244 63.30% 65.08%
2010 179,339 106,889 62.66% 65.44%

Since turnout varies significantly between races, the total percentage of voters statewide
who supported incumbents is not the same as the average percentage of the vote received
by incumbents. The percentage of voters supporting incumbents represents the total
number of supporters voting statewide that voted to retain their current legislator. The
average percentage of vote received by incumbents is an unweighted average of the final
percentage of the vote received by legislators.

• Despite the significant increase in primary challenges, the number of

incumbents who lost their primary is consistent with the past two election
cycles.
Primar Number of Names of Incumbents
y Year Incumbents Who
1
2010 results are preliminary and subject to change. All 2010 totals were accessed on 9/16/10.
Sources include the Associated Press and the Boards of Elections of New York State, New York
City, and Albany, Broome, Chautauqua, Dutchess, Erie, Monroe, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida,
Onondaga, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester counties. 2006 election results for districts in
Nassau County are not made public on the County Board’s website, so the results for these 13
districts were obtained through a variety of sources obtained by searching for each of the races
individually.
107 WASHINGTON AVE , 2ND FLOOR• ALBANY, New York 12210-2270 • 518-436-0876 • Fax 518-432-6178
Offices In: Albany, Buffalo, Binghamton, Cortland, Long Island, New Paltz, New York City, Purchase & Syracuse
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 Lost in the
Primary
Asm Stephens, Sen Coppola, Asm Friedman, Asm
2006 5 Manning, Sen Smith
2008 4 Asm Cole, Sen Gonzalez, Asm Young, Sen Connor
2010 4 Sen Stachowski, Sen Espada, Asm Fields, Asm DelMonte

This year, Senator Stavisky won with a plurality of 45.24%. This is the smallest
percentage received by a winning candidate in a primary over the past three election
cycles. Senator Stachowski’s 26.38% is the smallest percentage of the vote received by an
incumbent over this time.