Dem challenger pulls ahead of Assemb. Murray in Suffolk recount

In the second day of recavanassing, Democratic challenger Edward Hennessey pulled ahead of GOP Assemb. Dean Murray in their contest for the 3rd District seat.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, Democratic election officials said Hennessey has a 90-vote lead after 42 of the 72 election districts were counted. Republican election officials put Hennesey’s lead at 70.

Murray, who had an unofficial 36-vote lead on election night, saw the gap shrink to 28 on Wednesday before the recount began, after one polling machine in Medford that had malfunctioned was fixed. But after the first 10 election districts, Murray regained five or six votes by late Monday, giving him an edge of 33 or 34 votes, depending on Republican and Democrats’ accounts. But by noon Thursday, electon officials said Murrary's edge had fallen to six and that Hennessey took the lead in the afternoon.

County elecitons officials were expected to continue the recount until 8 p.m. Thursday and resume Friday morning.