New York’s Democrats dominated in statewide races but lost ground to Republicans in the congressional delegation and state Senate. Here are the key results from Tuesday’s election:
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INCUMBENTS CUOMO, SCHNEIDERMAN AND DINAPOLI DOMINATE GOP CHALLENGERS
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who held a 9-to-1 fundraising advantage, defeated Republican Rob Astorino by about 13 percentage points. Green party challenger Howie Hawkins polled nearly 5 percent. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat, also had a 13-point victory over Republican challenger John Cahill, a former aide to Gov. George Pataki. The largest margin of victory belonged to Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who ended with a 23-point win over Republican Robert Antonacci, who struggled to win name recognition and didn’t raise enough to qualify for matching funds under an experimental public campaign funding system.
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REPUBLICANS OUST TWO INCUMBENTS, PICK UP OPEN SEAT TO GAIN IN CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION
With one race too close to call, Republicans increased their number of seats in New York’s 27-member congressional delegation from five to at least eight by picking up two House seats upstate and another on Long Island. In northern New York, 30-year-old Republican Elise Stefanik became the youngest woman elected to Congress by defeating a fellow first-time candidate, Democrat Aaron Woolf. The seat was held by retiring Democratic Rep. Bill Owens. Republican John Katko, a former federal prosecutor, won the Syracuse-area seat held by Democratic Rep. Dan Maffei. And on Long Island, six-term Democratic Rep. Timothy Bishop was defeated by state Sen. Lee Zeldin. New York’s other open seat was on Long Island, where Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice defeated Republican Bruce Blakeman. Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney won his rematch with Republican Nan Hayworth. Republican Mark Assini’s bid to oust longtime Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter was still too close to call Wednesday.
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GOP REP. MICHAEL GRIMM PULLS OFF STRONG WIN DESPITE INDICTMENT AND BAD PUBLICITY
Republican Rep. Michael Grimm weathered federal tax evasion charges and rode strong turnout from his base on Staten Island to win a third term in Congress. Once considered vulnerable, Grimm benefited from a weak challenge from Democrat Domenic Recchia, who won the vote in the Brooklyn portion of the district but still lost by 13 points. Grimm has pleaded not guilty to hiding more than $1 million in sales and wages while running a small Manhattan restaurant. His trial is set for February. He has said he would step down if he wasn’t able to serve, which would trigger a special election for the seat.
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GOP REBOUNDS TO DEFEAT 3 INCUMBENTS IN STATE SENATE, FIRMING UP CONTROL OF CHAMBER
Three Democratic state senators were defeated in hard-fought races, ending what once seemed the strong possibility their party could take control of the 63-seat chamber from Republicans. The GOP’s net gain of two seats gives the party 31 and the likelihood they’ll again form a ruling majority next year with Brooklyn Democrat Simcha Felder, a social conservative who joined with the Republican conference the last two years. The wins included George Amedore defeating Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk in the greater Albany area, Sue Serino besting Sen. Terry Gipson in the Hudson Valley and Richard Funke outpolling Sen. Ted O’Brien in Rochester. Meanwhile Democrat Marc Panepinto defeated Republican Sen. Mark Grisanti, running on the Independence Party line in Buffalo, as well as Republican and Conservative Party candidates.
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REDISTRICTING CHANGES, SAVING PAPER IN LEGISLATURE, BONDING FOR SCHOOLS GET OK
Voters approved all three propositions on the ballot. The first authorizes a new commission to handle the once-in-a-decade task of drawing legislative districts, a proposal that critics said falls short of making the process independent of party politics. The second does away with a requirement for legislation to be printed on paper, allowing lawmakers to join the digital age and clear their desks of thick stacks of bills. The third authorizes the state to borrow $2 billion for school districts to buy computers, connect to the Internet, improve security and build classrooms for prekindergarten students.
(AP)
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‘The GOP’s net gain of two seats gives the party 31 and the likelihood they’ll again form a ruling majority next year with Brooklyn Democrat Simcha Felder’
good for Felder
give him his due