According to the running official-unofficial count, Scott Murphy (D) now leads in NY-20 by 86 votes over Jim Tedisco (R). That includes the overseas and military absentees for six of the district’s ten counties. It does not include a large number of challenged absentee ballots. Meanwhile, a Dutchess County court has disallowed Tedisco’s challenges against some absentee ballots.

Yesterday, Tedisco’s campaign made news by challenging the absentee ballot cast by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D, N.Y.) on the grounds that she was present in the district on Election Day. Aside from any question of the merits of that challenge, it does not look good to challenge the franchise of a sitting senator. But it is interesting that Gillibrand’s staff told the New York Times that she was not there when the polls were open because there were Senate votes scheduled for that day in Washington. Gillibrand did not participate in any of the three roll call votes that took place in the Senate on that day (Tuesday, March 31).