Tuesday was not a good night for New York Republicans, but it was especially bad for the Queens GOP, which lost two incumbent lawmakers and might yet see a third go, too.
The party saw freshman Councilman Anthony Como lose the seat he has held for just five months to the same woman he defeated in a tight June special election, Democrat Elizabeth Crowley.
In the excitement of Barack Obama's big and the Democrats' upset of the balance of power in the state Senate, the 30th CD race got a bit overlooked. Here are the unofficial results:
- Elizabeth Crowley (Dem): 18,592 56.01%
- Anthony Como (GOP): 14,603 43.99%
Como is a former aide to soon-to-be-ex Sen. Serf Maltese, the former Queens GOP chairman, who also lost last night to Democratic Councilman Joe Addabbo, 58 percent to 43 percent, in the 15th SD.
In a party often criticized for lacking a back bench, Como was a rare bird: An up-and-comer. He was viewed as a potential replacment for Maltese in the Senate had both Republicans managed to hold on in this election cycle.
And in another Queens race, Democratic Councilman Jim Gennaro has refused to concede to his GOP target, Sen. Frank Padavan, in the 11th SD. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Padavan was ahead by just 723 votes.
The voting machines in the Gennaro-Padavan race have been impounded, and now it will all come down to paper ballots, which are likely to mirror the results elsewhere and trend Democratic.
Evan Stavisky, who worked on the Gennaro race, didn't have a number on the paper ballots early this morning, but said he felt confident the Democrats still have a shot at winning the race.
And even if Gennaro doesn't make it this time, there's always 2010 - or perhaps even a special election if Padavan decides he doesn't like being in the minority.
Stavisky noted the precedent for GOP incumbents being toppled by challengers on their second time around, including ex-Sen. Nick Spano (ousted by Democratic Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins who came within 18 votes on her first try).
"I believe we're going to win it in the paper," Stavisky said. "But if we don't, (Padavan) is a dead man walking."
The Senate Democrats spent very little on Gennaro, but he's known as a tireless campaigner and and fundraiser. He went into the final weeks of the race with about $412,000 on hand compared to Padavan's $164,000.
Gennaro waged a very aggressive race, focusing in particular on women's issues and Padvan's record on abortion rights. Although he didn't get much help from the DSCC, he did receive assistance from groups like Planned Parenthood.
