When the results came in on election night, it was clear that Brian Scanlan had won the three-way race to become Cayuga County’s next clerk.
The Democrat-backed Scanlan faced off against Republican Chris Petrus and Kristine Lytle, who ran a third-party campaign, running on the Conservative and Experience Matters Lines. Scanlan would take first place with over 6,000 votes, Lytle second with over 4,400 votes, and Petrus third with just over 4,200 votes.
Speaking with Finger Lakes News Radio, Lytle reflected on her campaign. She said the fact that she garnered so many votes when her party only has 1,490 members in Cayuga County is a testament to her campaign.
“I realized that when I went in, our party line had only roughly about 1500 voters but, when the end numbers came out, I was close to 4500. I was so happy I was ecstatic that people had actually taken the time, learned who I was, and they had the opportunity to go out there and voice their choice. And the fact that they stepped up and voted for me even though I was a third-party candidate, I can’t express my gratitude enough to those people,” she said.
She added that she believes those numbers are a good sign for third-party candidates.
“That means people are ready for a change; people are okay with stepping outside of their party line, and they are okay with a third-party candidate running. We want what’s best for our county and we’ve got to keep trying to work for that,” she continued.
Lytle admitted that there were challenges to running as a third-party candidate. For example, she claimed some were encouraging her to not run and instead endorse Petrus so as not to split the vote as the Republican and Conservative parties tend to cross-endorse candidates. Nonetheless, she said it was an honor to be nominated and she would never discourage someone from running a third-party campaign.
“I wouldn’t discourage another third-party candidate from running,” Lytle added. “I’m so happy that the Conservatives chose me to run for them because they recognized my experience matters.”
This was Lytle’s first time running for public office and she added she couldn’t have done it without the support of the party and those who volunteered for her campaign.
“They were my army behind me and they made such an impact on my campaign,” she continued. “I wouldn’t be anywhere without them. Thank you.”
She also wanted to thank everyone who voted on election night, regardless of whose name they checked on the ballot.
Lytle has worked for 16 years at the DMV. During her campaign, she cited the experience gained at the department as a reason why she would be the best choice to replace the current county clerk, Sue Dwyer, who announced her retirement. With Scanlan’s victory, he will oversee the DMV’s operations. She said she’s excited to soon work alongside him and is happy to help him in any way possible.
“Congratulations to Brian. I don’t know Brian personally at this time but I’m looking forward to getting to know him,” she told Finger Lakes News Radio. “With my experiences, I’m certainly going to help him, work alongside him, and bring him up to speed on what is going on in our DMV office so he can be a successful Cayuga County Clerk.”
When asked if she planned to run again in future elections, Lytle said it was too early to answer that question but she hasn’t ruled it out. She added she would like to become more involved in local politics.
