CANTON -- Tedra Cobb declared victory in the Democratic primary election Tuesday night, and soon turned her attention to Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, whom she will challenge for the 21st Congressional District seat this fall.

Cobb used her acceptance speech to set the stage for the fall race. “This election boils down to two things. The first is a simple question: Is Washington making your life better or are they making your life worse? More than that, can we trust our leaders in Congress to make our live here in the North County better? I would say no,” she said in a press release.

“The second thing we will vote on in November is this: what kind of Representative do we want from New York’s 21st Congressional District? Elise Stefanik is a Washington insider who visits our district occasionally. She never lived here before she was elected, and she doesn’t work hard to get to know what we need. That’s why she votes to harm her constituents. She puts the interests of her friends in Washington over the interest of the North Country. It has to stop.”

Cobb praised the other Democrats who ran: “To the other Democrats in this primary, I want to tell you, your road doesn’t end here. You brought so much to this race that I want to acknowledge. Patrick with your deep policy knowledge and idealism…You made me work harder to reach more voters; to dive deeper into issues; to think harder about what matters to people in Northern New York.” As of this release, Cobb had spoken to Emily Martz, Katie Wilson, and Patrick Nelson. All echoed the calls for unity they pledged on the trail.

Cobb finally praised the volunteers she amassed over the campaign. “Here tonight, I see countless people who have put their lives on hold to make this night a success, and you have done it voluntarily. We turned in 5373 petition signatures with an all-volunteer corps of canvassers and team leaders. Tonight is a celebration of all you have accomplished.

"This campaign is the antidote to what’s wrong in Washington, with the meanness, the coldness to our fellow human beings, and the division.

That’s who I am and that’s why we’re going to win in November."

Campaign Manager Mike Szustak highlighted the hard work the campaign had done. “Tedra had a world-class operation going before I got here. She has a unique style. She works harder than everyone. She knew to grab all of these people and make them volunteers - get them working. We’ve already started building for the fall.”

The general election is Nov. 6.

With 100 percent of the vote reported, Cobb took 56 percent, a clear majority in a five-way race. For more, see story.