The following article was published in the December 2, 2025 edition of dcDIGEST.
On November 4th, Delaware County voters went to the polls. With 10,185 votes cast, turnout outpaced the 2023 local election by 1291 votes, a 14.5 % increase. The hard fought town races as well as the contested treasurer’s race probably contributed to the bump in turnout. Democrats saw big victories in Delhi where Dan Gashler and Simon Purdy won town council seats in contested races. The two Dems will join supervisor Maya Boukai who ran unopposed on the Democratic and Delhi Forward lines.
In Meredith, Kristin Antin won a contested seat on the town council, running on the Democratic and Meredith Neighbors lines. Stephanie Munro, endorsed by the Meredith Democratic Committee, came within 27 votes of unseating six term incumbent Republican supervisor, James Ellis. In Andes, Democrats Bud Gladstone and Dale Cole won seats on the town council. In Middletown, two Democratic town council members, Colleen Martin and Robin Williams, ran unopposed and will each serve another four year term.
In addition to Maya Boukai in Delhi, Democratic supervisors Glen Faulkner of Middletown, Wayne Marshfield of Hamden and William Layton in Tompkins ran unopposed. Judge Gary Rosa, also running unopposed on the Democratic line, was elected to serve another 10 year term as Delaware County Family Court Judge.
Sidney races went to the Republicans, but the local Democratic committee and other grass roots organizers recruited a full slate of good candidates, laying the groundwork for future wins. In Bovina, a council seat was a nail biter as Democratic candidate John Salak came within 4 votes of besting Republican John Ciccone.
The close races and full candidate slates point to new Democratic energy in Delaware County’s small rural towns, traditionally dominated by the Republican party. The trend is borne out by results in other states. After the recent Democratic gains in the New Jersey and Virginia governors’ races, there’s a jolt of optimism about the party’s prospects, even in traditionally Republican rural areas.
The Daily Yonder, an online newsletter about rural politics, pointed out that rural areas of Virginia moved 12 points toward the Democratic Party in the November election, compared to 2021. Although rural voters in Virginia voted Republican in the gubernatorial race, the margin of victory dropped significantly compared to both the 2021 elections and the 2024 presidential race.
In North Carolina, the Democrats moved the needle significantly. According to the North Carolina Democratic Party’s website (ncdp.org), Democrats swept 631 races and flipped over 150 seats.
As we set our eyes on the 2026 midterm elections, these bright spots on the rural horizon should serve as inspiration to Democratic organizing efforts. Let’s mobilize to get every Democrat and progressive independent voter out to vote. Knock on every door, listen to every voter and radiate optimism.
And as of our publication date, New York State has passed legislation that would move local elections to the same year as state and federal elections. Based on this change, local office holders serving 2 year terms would be up for re-election in 2026! The time is now to find and support local candidates!