Rosemary Pooler, a Democrat active in the Syracuse Jewish community, has conceded defeat in her effort to win election to the House from New York’s 27th District last Tuesday. She lost to the incumbent, Rep. George Wortley, a Republican.
According to the Syracuse Herald-Journal, Wortley outspent Pooler by $557,697 to $385,407 in what was a heated campaign.
Pooler’s loss leaves the number of Jews elected to the House at 29, one less than in the current 99th Congress, even though one new Jewish member was elected, Benjamin Cardin (D. Md.).
However, two Jewish incumbents, Reps. Ken Kramer and Bobbi Fiedler, both California Republicans, left their seats in unsuccessful bids for the Senate. The number of Jewish Senators remains at eight with the re-election of Sens. Arlen Specter (R. Pa.) and Warren Rudman (R. NH).
Meanwhile, Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin, a Democrat, is expected to be elected to a second term by the State Legislature. She won a plurality in the November 4 elections but failed to receive 50 percent of the vote, which means under Vermont law that the Legislature decides the issue.
A second Jew elected a Governor last Tuesday is Neil Goldschmidt. A former Mayor of Portland and Secretary of Transportation in the Carter Administration, he was elected Oregon’s chief executive.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
