Andrew Cuomo easily won his second term as New York state governor and Michael Grimm held on to his congressional seat on an Election Day ruled by incumbents.
Telling supporters that “We’re just getting started,” Cuomo celebrated his re-election Tuesday night after gliding to victory over Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino.
WATCH FULL SPEECHES BY THE CANDIDATES
• Cuomo Declares Victory in Race for Governor
• Rob Astorino Concedes in Race for Governor
With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Cuomo had 54 percent of the vote compared to Astorino’s 40 percent, with Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins getting five percent.
“Thank you for four more years,” Cuomo told supporters at his Midtown victory celebration. “But you ain’t seen nothing yet. We aren’t going back to where we were. We’re going to take this state higher than it’s ever been before.”
“We said that New York is at its best when it acts like a family, honoring each other’s rights and responsibilities,” Cuomo added. “We said that what makes New York special is that while others are challenged by diversity, we celebrate it. We look at that Statue of Liberty in the harbor, who opens her arms and says, ‘Come one, come all.’ We ask you to join the state of New York. While other states are putting up walls, we’re inviting people in.”
At the conclusion of his speech, Cuomo brought his father, former Governor Mario Cuomo, to the stage, where the 82-year-old he received a loud ovation. The younger Cuomo’s re-election will give him at least two terms in the governor’s mansion, one behind the three terms served by his father, who was governor from 1983 to 1994.
The younger Cuomo ran this year on multiple party lines, including the Democratic, Working Families, Independence, and Women’s Equality Party, the last of which he formed over the summer and promoted on a bus tour throughout the month of October.
Astorino, who served on the Westchester County Board of Legislatures from 2003 to 2005, conceded the race but said his fight would go on.
“We have not tilted windmills in this campaign,” he told supporters. “We have planted a flag, and we will be back to reclaim it and advance it further.”
Astorino previously ran unsuccessfully against Democratic incumbent Andy Spano for Westchester County Executive in 2005, but won an unexpected upset against Spano for the same office in 2009. He was also a finalist for lieutenant governor under Republican Gubernatorial Candidate John Faso in 2006.
Grimm, who is facing multiple federal charges related to his business dealings prior to his 2010 election to Congress, beat back a challenge from former New York City Councilman Domenic Recchia to earn a third term in the House.
“Let’s be honest—a few months ago, the press, the pundits, they had us out,” Grimm told supporters at his victory party on Staten Island. “We were done, right? They all had this race in the books already. But we didn’t waver. Not once. You stood by me against all the odds, and I will never, ever forget it.”
With three-fourths of precincts reporting, Grimm had a 55 percent to 43 percent lead over Recchia.
In statewide races, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman held onto his post this election night despite being considered the most vulnerable of the three statewide incumbents up for re-election early on in the campaign.
Schneiderman faced an unlikely upset from Republican challenger John Cahill.
With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Schneiderman beat Cahill by 14 percentage points.
Before being elected to attorney general in 2010, Schneiderman represented New York’s 31st district in the State Senate. The district includes Manhattan’s Upper West Side, most of northern Manhattan and part of Riverdale in the Bronx.
Schneiderman spent his last days on the trail alongside Governor Andrew Cuomo,
surprising many who believe the two to maintain a distant professional relationship.
Schneiderman vastly outspent his opponent and polls showed him leading Cahill by the double digits ahead of the election.
Cahill earned his political reputation while serving as secretary and chief of staff to former Governor George Pataki from 2002 to 2006. Before that, he had served as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation.
In a fiery debate held last week on NY1, Cahill challenged Schneiderman to pledge that he would not use the AG post as a political stepping stone. Schneiderman refused the challenge, saying “I am the top law enforcement officer in the state, and I would appreciate a little respect.”
Cahill had largely run his campaign on the accusation that Schneiderman has been ineffective at curbing public corruption, referencing Schneiderman’s involvement in Cuomo’s Moreland Commission To Investigate Public Corruption.
Schneiderman, for his part, painted his opponent as a mouthpiece for the national Republican Party in a largely Democratic state, highlighting his opposition to abortion and gay marriage.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli had no problem deflecting a challenge from Republican Onondaga County Comptroller Robert Antonacci, winning by 24 percentage points with 92 percent of precincts reporting.
DiNapoli first became state comptroller in 2007 when he was appointed by the state legislature to replace Alan Hevesi, who had resigned in a plea deal for his misuse of state resources for personal purposes.
DiNapoli narrowly held onto his post in 2010 after a challenge from businessman Harry Wilson.
Before becoming state comptroller, DiNapoli represented the 16th district, which covers Northwest Nassau County, in the New York State Assembly.
Antonacci failed to get enough private funding to qualify for state financing in his campaign, and this enormous lack of funding ultimately became a major disadvantage, as he was unable to run TV ads.
However, Antonacci took a debate on NY1 as an opportunity to criticize DiNapoli on a number of fronts. He attacked him for his pension fund management, his use of shareholder activism and his handling of the Vito Lopez sexual abuse scandal.
Despite these efforts, DiNapoli headed into election night with a double digit lead over Antonacci in the polls.
Among the long-time Democratic Congressional incumbents sailing to victory on Tuesday, early returns showed Jerrold Nadler defeating challenger Ross Brady, Carolyn Maloney defeating Republican Nicholas Di Iorio, Charles Rangel defeating Green Party candidate Daniel Vila Rivera, Joe Crowley defeating Elizabeth Perri, Jose Serrano defeating Eduardo Ramirez, Gregory Meeks defeating Allen Steinhardt, Nydia Velazquez defeating Jose Fernandez, Hakeem Jeffries defeating Alan Bellone, and Yvette Clarke defeating Daniel Cavanagh.
Rep. Steve Israel was also seeking re-election against Republican Grant Lally.
There were also other races for the state Senate and Assembly, plus three ballet proposals in New York City.
Mayor Talks Federal Outcomes
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio arrived to vote around 3 p.m. to the Park Slope Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.
The mayor said he voted for all Democrats.
As for the state propositions, de Blasio said he voted in favor of Proposition 3, or the Smart Schools Bond Act, which would pump $ 2 billion into technology for schools as well as building improvements..
The mayor says he also voted for Proposition 2, which would remove the requirement that bills are physically printed before they go to a vote, allowing them to instead be distributed electronically.
De Blasio says he voted against Proposition 1, which would create a commission of legislative appointees to redraw legislative and congressional district lines.
The mayor talked about the election on a federal level.
“Look, I’m a Democrat and I’m proud to be a Democrat. I don’t have a crystal ball but I think there’s a good shot for sure to hold the Senate, but we just—we know it’s going to come down to a variety of outcomes and states that are all quite different that have very, very local issues predominate. And we also know there could easily be recounts in the foreground and there could easily be runoffs in Louisiana and Georgia,” the mayor said.
First Lady Chirlane McCray did not reveal how she voted.
Statewide Candidates Cast Their Votes
Cuomo, who entered Tuesday leading Astorino in the polls and in fundraising, cast his ballot Tuesday morning in Mount Kisco.
“We have more private sector jobs today than have ever existed in the state of New York, which is remarkable from where we started four years ago. Are we bumping up against perfection? No. But have we made tremendous progress? Yes we have. And the legislature is functioning and we’re passing bills, and cut spending, and we reduced taxes and jobs are coming back. So I feel very good about the future of the state,” Cuomo said.
Astorino has accused Cuomo of being an Albany insider who has not done enough for the economy.
He was joined by his family in Hawthorne, N.Y. to cast his ballot.
“If you’re sick of the corruption which is what we have with Andrew Cuomo, he’s being investigated by the feds, the bad economy, the taxes that are just driving people out of this state, then you got to make a change. And change begins by changing governors,” Astorino said.
Schneiderman cast his vote on the Upper West Side, while Cahill voted in Westchester County.
Heated 11th District Race Comes to a Close
Grimm received a round of applause Tuesday from poll workers when he cast his vote in New Springfield, his home neighborhood.
Grimm is under federal indictment for tax fraud and perjury related to a health food restaurant he used to run in Manhattan. But he said he was confident he would beat out his challenger, who cast his ballot in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn.
“I think people are looking for those who are going to step up and lead on the issues, that are going to at least bring some solutions to the problems and challenges that we face. And they recognize that’s the whole reason I ran for Congress in the first place,” Grimm said.
“From January 1st, I’m going to take office and fight for the people of this district. They no longer cannot wait for someone who has to deal with their own issues. They need someone who’s going to fight for them 24/7. From January 1, I’m going to be able to do that,” Recchia said.
NY1′s latest poll prior to the election showed Grimm with a 19-point lead.
Polling Site Claims Voting Problems
The electoral process was not been without issue Tuesday.
A source contacted NY1 saying voters at a polling site in Brooklyn were being incorrectly told they could only choose one party to vote for across all races.
Board of Elections officials said they were looking into the problem.
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