Paladino, Schneiderman, Rangel Win in Tuesday Primaries
The stage is set for the November elections in New York
Carl Paladino, a Tea Party-backed political novice, secured the Republican nomination for New York Governor Tuesday night, beating former Congressman Rick Lazio by a wide margin.
Lazio had the support of the Republican Party establishment, but Paladino rode voter discontent to a decisive win.
“If we’ve learned anything tonight, it’s that New Yorkers are mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore!” Paladino said, addressing a gathering of raucous supporters at his Buffalo headquarters.
The millionaire real estate developer now faces what is expected to be an uphill battle in the general election against Democratic Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
There was more high-drama Tuesday night in the race for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General. State Senator Eric Schneiderman ultimately prevailed after returns showed him to be in a tight contest with Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. Retired trial attorney Sean Coffey came in third in the race with former insurance superintendent Eric Dinallo and Assembly Richard Brodsky rounding out the field.
In a local race that has received national attention, embattled Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel lock-down the Democratic party’s nomination to run for a twenty-first term despite the prospect of the 80-year-old facing an ethics trial in the House of the Representatives. He beat Adam Clayton Powell IV, his most formidable challenger, by more than 12,000 votes in a six-way race in which he collected 51% of the vote.
Meanwhile, voters in the Bronx’s 33rd Senatorial district rejected state Senator Pedro Espada’s bid to run for reelection on the Democratic line. Espada’s been accused of illegally funneling millions in government money to his health clinic. He also teamed with Republicans for a Senate coup that gridlocked the Senate in the summer of 2009. He was defeated on Tuesday by Gustavo Rivera.
