Congress candidate Dylan Ratigan talks to a television reporter outside the North Elba Town Hall in Lake Placid after Tuesday night’s Democratic primary. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)

LAKE PLACID — Democratic congressional candidate Dylan Ratigan gained the second most votes at the primary polls Tuesday and gave two press conferences on the front lawn of the North Elba Town Hall, looking back on the race and ceding the victory to Tedra Cobb.

First meeting with the press at 10 p.m., when around 20 percent of the votes had been collected, Ratigan said though Cobb showed an early lead, it was too early to call it. When all the ballots were counted Cobb had 56 percent of the vote and Ratigan had almost 12 percent.

Ratigan said he would “consider” campaigning for Cobb in the general election.

The cable television journalist turned political candidate was visibly disappointed with the outcome but focused on what the future holds.

“I’ve never wanted more in my life to reform our politics and drive toward solutions,” Ratigan said. “This was one possible way to go around doing that, but it doesn’t change my life path.”

Forgoing the typical election night event, Retigan stayed home in Lake Placid with friends and family. He said he wanted a personal gathering because, “It’s a personal experience, you know. I’ve never done this before.”

Ratigan said the number of candidates running was a sign that incumbent Republican Rep. Stefanik will be up for a challenge in the general election Nov. 6.

“There’s a misperception that this is a safe district for the Republican Party. … New York 21 is in play, make no mistake about it,” Ratigan said.

However, he also said the Democratic Party needs to make some changes in its approach, focusing on solutions instead of problems.

“The Democratic Party right now is lost in a quagmire of resistance to something that only makes it stronger,” Ratigan said. “I think the only way you win this district as a challenger … is to shift away from the energy of resistance, which I think is a big mistake, and toward the energy of creation.”

Ratigan said the primary result was an example of the “broken political system” he talks about. He ran on a platform of government and campaign reform and pushed for open primaries, ranked voting and changes in campaign finances.

“There’s a disproportionate influence in the television ad buy, which creates a disproportionate difference … where not necessarily the best or most qualified candidate wins, but the candidate that spends the most money on television wins, which is certainly what happened in this particular instance here. Her victory speaks to the power of television more than it speaks to the power of her candidacy.”

Ratigan said he will continue to work with his company Helical Holdings, which employs veterans to install solar-powered, hydroponic farming modules. He said this has been his way to improve the world for six years now, and with politics being a part of who he is, he will be involved in races, causes and solutions in the coming years.