Ann Marie Buerkle wins Independence Party endorsement over Rep. Dan Maffei

Washington, D.C. — Republican Ann Marie Buerkle scored a victory Tuesday over Rep. Dan Maffei, D-DeWitt, by capturing the Independence Party endorsement in the 25th Congressional District.

Both Buerkle and Maffei had been seeking the ballot line of the largest third-party organization in the state with 413,855 enrolled members. The endorsement means Buerkle, a lawyer from Onondaga Hill, will now appear on three ballot lines – Republican, Conservative and Independence.

Share The Independence Party has 18,095 registered members in the 25th District, more than twice as many as the Conservative enrollment of 7,198, according to the state Board of Elections.

“These endorsements reflect where we are as a district; people all across the political spectrum are frustrated with fiscal irresponsibility and lack of representation,” Buerkle said in a statement.

Maffei will appear on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines.

The Independence Party did not endorse a candidate in the 25th District in 2008 when Maffei was opposed by Republican Dale Sweetland. The party traditionally supported Republican U.S. Rep. James Walsh, who served 10 terms in office before retiring in 2008.

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