Murphy Elected to State Senate with Win over Wagner
Cries of “we want the Senator” echoed through Murphy’s Restaurant in Yorktown Heights as Yorktown Councilman Dr. Terrence Murphy emerged victorious in the 40th District state Senate race.
Murphy, a Republican, took 58% of the vote for the district, which covers parts of Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties, comfortably defeating Democratic challenger Justin Wagner in a bitterly fought contest to succeed state Senator Greg Ball (R,C,I/Patterson).
“This is awesome,” said Murphy just minutes after learning the results. “We worked really hard, it’s a dream come true and it’s a big, massive move for New York State.”
Surrounded by friends and family, including his daughter Mikayla, who he referred to as his “junior campaign manager,” Murphy thanked those people who supported him from the beginning and said that the election was not just about him but about the people.
Murphy referred to his victory as a “great day for New York” and said that his election will help keep the balance of power in the senate in check. He said that his first order of business will be to combat the heroin epidemic that has been effecting youth throughout the county in recent months. He is looking forward to continuing to work with police and fire departments to keep local youth safe.
Wagner, who lost to Ball two years ago, said he was proud of his campaign during a concession speech at Holiday Inn Express In Peekskill.
“I think the issues that we ran on we can be proud of,” Wagner said. “What we built in this campaign we can be proud of.”
Murphy stated that he believes his victory came down to his experience in government. He noted that the campaign between him and Wagner turned ugly, a route he never intended to go down during his campaign.
“Integrity honesty and respect are what your life’s all about and I think that got lost on his campaign and our message is to represent the people and that’s what I plan on doing,” he said.
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