Josh Riley, winner in the 19th Congressional District Democratic primary, and Peter Oberacker, Republican Senator for 51st Senate District. (Photos from Josh Riley for Congress campaign website and New York State Senate)

CHENANGO COUNTY – Political newcomer Josh Riley captured a majority of the vote in Chenango County’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, defeating Jamie Cheney, another political newcomer, by a margin of nearly 40 percent.

Unofficial results of the Chenango County Board of Elections peg Riley as Tuesday’s primary winner, raking in 70 percent of the county’s Democratic voters with 674 votes. Cheney gained 281 votes, or 29 percent.

Pursuant to redistricting after the 2020 U.S. Census, the 19th Congressional District now covers Chenango, Broome, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, Tioga, and Tompkins counties, as well as parts of Ulster and Otsego counties.

In a special election for New York’s current 19th Congressional District, Democrat Pat Ryan defeated Republican Marc Molinaro to replace Democrat Antonio Delgado, who was named New York’s new Lieutenant governor back in May.

Chenango County voters were not included in the special election because the county will not be part of the 19th Congressional District until new district lines take effect next year.

Chenango County Republican voters also weighed in on two Republicans running for a seat in the revamped 51st New York State Senate District. Incumbent Peter Oberacker defeated Terry Bernado, a former chair of the Ulster County Legislature, capturing 56 percent of Republican voters in Chenango County, or 713 votes. Bernado gained 553 votes, or nearly 44 percent.

Across the district, Oberacker won by a slim margin with nearly 52 percent of the vote, gaining 10,398 votes to Bernardo’s 9,371 votes.

Senator Peter Oberacker is serving his first term representing the current 51st Senate District. Oberacker serves as a ranking member of the New York State Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Committee, as well as a member of the education, internet and technology, health, judiciary, and higher education committees. He’s also a member of New York’s Joint Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction and Overdose Prevention.

After redistricting, the 51st will cover parts of Chenango County, encompassing the towns of Norwich, Greene, Oxford, Guilford, Coventry, Bainbridge and Afton, as well as the City of Norwich. The district also includes portions of Broome and Ulster counties, and the entirety of Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, and Sullivan Counties.

Oberacker will face off against Democrat Eric Ball for the newly-drawn 51st Senate District in November’s general election.