Alice Kryzan stunned the political world in western New York and beyond on Tuesday when she won a hard-fought Democratic primary against difficult odds in the 26th Congressional District. Kryzan, the environmental lawyer who waged a campaign that drew less attention than her rivals, came away the winner with 42 percent of the vote with more than 97 percent of the unofficial tally in. She beat well-financed opponents: Iraq war veteran Jon Powers and industrialist Jack Davis.

A surprised Kryzan said she won because she was straightforward with voters.

“I’m the same person today that I was at the beginning of the campaign,” she said.

Powers, who captured 36 percent of the vote, was the favorite of the party, progressive bloggers and organized labor. The national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee endorsed him, as did every county Democratic committee in the district. Davis captured 23 percent of the vote. He is a multimillionaire who spent $1.3 million on his primary run and ran unsuccessfully for the seat twice before.

-Democrat and Chronicle