During his State Senate campaign, Daniel Squadron, below, promised people at Caring Community’s senior citizens center in Independence Plaza he would not forget them and that he would return soon after the election. Squadron made good on his promise at noon Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he had won. He told the seniors they would be seeing him again relatively soon.
Jack Schiavone, 70, an Independence Plaza resident, told a reporter he thought Squadron, 28, would do well taking on the “nice little nest of rattlesnakes” in Albany.
Squadron then rushed up to the Capitol to participate in budget talks with his soon-to-be colleagues. State Sen. Martin Connor, who lost to Squadron in the September Democratic primary, never called to concede the election, but Squadron said he will contact Connor soon to start the transition process. The two have not spoken for at least two months.
Squadron seemed happier about Barack Obama’s historic victory than he did his own. “Yesterday was beyond words,” he said. “It’s a privilege to have been on the same ballot with him. I don’t think I’ve fully processed that yet.”
Downtown Dems cruise
Local Democrats held onto their seats easily this year as the presidential race drew record crowds to the polls.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver beat Republican challenger Danniel Maio handily in the 64th District with 78.6 percent of the vote. Newcomer Daniel Squadron officially became part of the State Senate when he trounced Republican John Chromczack in the 25th District with 86.4 percent of the vote.
Democrats Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney also kept their seats in the U.S. House of Representatives by large margins. Nadler, of District 8, netted 79.7 percent of the vote against Republican Grace Lin, while Maloney, of District 14, pulled in 79.5 percent against Republican Robert Heim (18.9 percent) and Libertarian Isaiah Matos (1.6 percent).
In Manhattan, President-elect Barack Obama received 85 percent of the vote, the second-highest margin across the state after the Bronx, while Sen. John McCain received 14 percent. Across the state, Obama won 62 percent to McCain’s 37 percent.
