2003 Erie County, New York Executive election

2003 Erie County Executive election

← 1999 November 4, 2003 2007  →

Nominee Joel Giambra Daniel J. Ward Party Republican Democratic Alliance Parties Conservative Independence Working Families Popular vote 134,305 107,773 Percentage 55.47% 44.53%

County Executive before election Joel Giambra Republican Elected County Executive Joel Giambra Republican

The 2003 Erie County, New York Executive election took place on November 4, 2003, to select the County Executive of Erie County, New York. Incumbent Republican County Executive Joel Giambra ran for re-election to a second term, and he was challenged by Amherst Town Councilman Daniel Ward, the Democratic nominee. Gambia ultimately defeated Ward in a landslide, winning 55 percent of the vote to Ward's 45 percent. ^[1]

General election

Candidates

• Joel Giambra, incumbent County Executive (Republican, Independence, Conservative) ^[2]
• Daniel J. Ward, Amherst Town Councilman ^[3] (Democratic, Working Families) ^[2]

Campaign

Giambra, who was viewed as a potential Republican candidate for Governor in 2006, ^[4] announced his campaign for re-election on March 20, 2003, calling for the November election to "be a referendum on regionalism," "hope," and "opportunity." ^[5]

Local Democrats struggled to attract a candidate, ^[6] and eventually recruited Amherst Town Councilman Daniel Ward, who referred to the Giambra administration administration as "brain dead." ^[3]

Giambra remained the frontrunner throughout the campaign, raising and spending significantly more than Ward. ^[7] Ward ran an aggressive campaign against Giambra, accusing him of favoritism in county contracts ^[8] and political patronage in hiring, which Gambia denied. ^[9]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Daniel J. Ward (D)	Joel Giambra (R)	Other / Undecided
Fingerhut Granados Opinion Research [10]	September 16–18, 2003	450 (V)	± 5.0%	37%	42%	21%
Goldhaber Research Associates [11]	October 5–7, 2003	504 (LV)	± 4.4%	25%	47%	23%
SurveyUSA [12]	October 28–30, 2003	465 (CV)	± 4.7%	42%	53%	5%

Results

2003 Erie County Executive election ^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Giambra	111,555	46.08%
	Independence	Joel Giambra	13,128	5.42%
	Conservative	Joel Giambra	9,622	3.97%
	Total	Joel Giambra	134,305	55.47%
	Democratic	Daniel J. Ward	98,371	40.64%
	Working Families	Daniel J. Ward	9,402	3.88%
	Total	Daniel J. Ward	107,773	44.53%
Total votes			242,078	100.00%
	Republican hold

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   CV – certain voters
   V – unclear

References

1. McCarthy, Robert J. (November 5, 2003). "Giambra easily defeats Ward". The Buffalo News . Buffalo, New York. p. A1. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
2. Cardinale, Anthony (July 11, 2003). "Griffin on primary ballot for Council seat in South District after gaining signatures". The Buffalo News . Buffalo, New York. p. C3. Retrieved July 28, 2003.
3. McCarthy, Robert J. (May 9, 2003). "Ward says he'll challenge Giambra". The Buffalo News . Buffalo, New York. p. A1. Retrieved July 28, 2003.
4. Spector, Joseph (February 25, 2003). "Spitzer preparing to run for governor, analysts say". Star-Gazette . Elmira, New York. p. 2C. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
5. McCarthy, Robert J. (March 21, 2003). "Confident Giambra kicks off re-election bid". The Buffalo News . Buffalo, New York. p. B2. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
6. McCarthy, Robert J. (May 2, 2003). "Ward would be happy to challenge Giambra". The Buffalo News . Buffalo, New York. p. B2. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
7. McCarthy, Robert J. (November 1, 2003). "Giambra sets record, raises more money than Ward". The Buffalo News . Buffalo, New York. p. B1. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
8. McCarthy, Robert J. (October 5, 2003). "Ward accuses Giambra of favoritism in contracts". The Buffalo News . Buffalo, New York. p. B3. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
9. Cardinale, Anthony (October 29, 2003). "Giambra dismisses Ward's scandal charges". The Buffalo News . Buffalo, New York. p. B1. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
10. McCarthy, Robert J. (October 7, 2003). "Democrats tout poll showing close race". The Buffalo News . Buffalo, New York. p. B1. Retrieved July 28, 2003.
11. Buckham, Tom (October 9, 2003). "Giambra far ahead, poll shows". The Buffalo News . Buffalo, New York. p. B1. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
12. "GOP's Giambra Tops Dem Ward, Re-Elected Erie County Executive" (PDF). SurveyUSA. November 1, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 24, 2003. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
13. "2003 General Canvass Book" (PDF). Erie County Board of Elections. 2003. Retrieved July 21, 2003.