With 138 absentee ballots remaining, Sen. Stephen Saland has opened up a 120-vote lead over his Republican primary challenger, Neil Di Carlo.

The count today left 27 additional contested ballots.

Earlier in the day it was reported that Saland had a 90-vote lead, with 5,144 votes and to Di Carlo’s 5,054 votes.

Saland, R-Poughkeepsie, led by slightly more than 40 votes after last week’s party primary.

The longtime incumbent, one of four Republican senators to back the same-sex marriage bill, also has the Independence Party line this fall.

Senate Republicans felt confident that a Saland victory was possible, despite the razor-thin margin in the party primary. They pointed to a focused absentee-ballot program, with many of the out-of-town voters being found in areas where Saland was considered strong.

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