Rep. Louise Slaughter has survived the closest race of her political career.
Monroe County elections commissioners announced Wednesday that Slaughter has defeated Republican Mark Assini by a mere 869 votes. Assini conceded the race late Wednesday afternoon in a call to Slaughter.
Assini, the supervisor in the suburban town of Gates, made an unexpectedly strong showing with a shoestring campaign against the 85-year-old incumbent in the 25th District.
Republican congressional candidates did quite well in parts of New York in last week's elections as a couple of Democratic incumbents lost their seats. If Slaughter had lost, it would have been the biggest upset in the state.
Slaughter was elected to Congress in 1987. She once represented parts of the Buffalo area, but her district is now concentrated in the Rochester area.