Dem NY Gay Marriage foe loses election to pro-equality Dem

[FreeState]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/nyregion/17hiram.html

Yeah - one anti-civil rights girlfriend beating ass down. 7 more anti-civil rights bigots to go...

Monserrate Loses Bid to Regain Seat

Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the State Senate last month after he was convicted of assaulting his companion, failed Tuesday in his quest to regain his seat as José R. Peralta handily won a special election to represent a swath of predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods in Queens, according to early returns.

The victory was not unexpected given the level of organized Democratic support for Mr. Peralta, an Assemblyman from Queens, who also had an enormous financial advantage over Mr. Monserrate who ran as an independent and tried to persuade voters to give him another chance to represent them in Albany.

Still, the election followed a fierce, if brief, campaign where a debate over same-sex marriage, which Mr. Peralta favors and Mr. Monserrate opposes, often overshadowed discussions on issues that matter more to many of the district’s working-class and immigrant residents, such as affordable healthcare and school overcrowding.

With 35 percent of the vote counted, unofficial returns from the overwhelmingly Democratic 13th State Senate District showed Mr. Peralta with 60 percent and Mr. Monserrate with 34 percent. The Republican candidate, Robert Beltrani, an administrative law judge, came in a third with six percent of the vote.

As far as special elections go, this one drew unusual attention, a sizeable turnout and intense passion because of the circumstances surrounding it: The leading contenders were once close political allies and were competing for a Senate seat that became vacant on Feb. 9 when Mr. Monserrate became the first Albany lawmaker removed from office since the 1920s...

[Me.]

1. This Is Doubly Delicious

As he is one of the two snakes who handed the legislature back to the Cons, then he changed his mind and became a dem again after being charged with beating up his girlfriend

[mitchtv]

2. one down

very happy to hear that, as I grew up in the area

[TreasonousBastard]

3. What's gay marriage have to do with anything here? Monserrate was...

a Democrat who became a Republican in a power brokering deal that everyone saw through and hated. He beat up his girlfriend and stole campaign funds, maybe other money, too, and got tossed from the state senate for his pains.

This was the first time in many years that the Senate had a Democratic majority, but it was only by a vote or two. And Monserrate fucked it up with one other asshole who switched parties. He's one of the many reasons Albany has become a laughing stock.

(Used to be when things got bad politicians could look across the Hudson and say "At least it's not as bad as New Jersey." But, this year it was.)

[FreeState]

4. Quite a bit actually

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/nyregion/25gay.html

Campaign Goes After Opponents of Gay Marriage

ALBANY — Angered by the defeat last year of a bill that would have allowed same-sex couples to marry, a group of well-financed gay rights advocates has started a political action committee to take aim at state senators who have opposed same-sex marriage.

The first person the committee will single out is Hiram Monserrate, the Queens Democrat who has filed as a candidate in a special election to reclaim the seat he lost after the Senate expelled him this month.

The campaign against Mr. Monserrate, which will initially rely on the Internet and direct mail to reach voters but may expand to phone banks and e-mail, could exceed a cost of $100,000 — a significant amount for a legislative special election that is less than three weeks away.

....

“Politicians who deny gays and lesbians basic equality should be thrown out of office, starting with convicted criminal Hiram Monserrate,” said Bill Smith, an adviser to the committee and deputy executive director of the Gill Action Fund, Mr. Gill’s political organization, which is based in Denver.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. This is a heavily Hispanic neighborhood with lots of...

traditional Catholics and untraditional Fundies. Fundieism is growing really fast in many Hispanic neighborhoods.

Can't say absolutely for sure, but I'd bet a bundle that Monserrate's views on homosexuality and gay marriage reflected the neighborhood's, and I bet he got a lot of votes just for that. He lost because he stole money, he beat up his girlfriend, and he couldn't run on Row A where a lot of fingers automatically go to vote.

You would rather believe gay marriage was a dealbreaker in that district? OK, go believe it. Me, I'm just glad there's one less scumbag in ALbany.

[Smarmie Doofus]

13. Large GLBT population in Jackson Heights.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/16/nyregion/16metjournal.html?ref=todayspaper

Montserrate lives there.

You sound disappointed.

[FreeState]

14. I never stayed anywere that it was because of marriage equality

you some how read that into my post. GLBT issues rarely win at the polls, GLBT people have no political power in America - were 0 for 33 on our basic civil right of having our families recognized.

[TreasonousBastard]

15. Titleing your OP the way you did kinda gave me the impression...

that you thought that was the reason for the results.

True enough, you didn't say that-- it's just that with all that's going on around here, I read that into it.

[FreeState]

6. I forgot to add his anti-gay campaign material

[bullwinkle428]

10. "Catholic & Christian Committee of Queens" - that reminds me of

an old "All In The Family" episode, where Archie was being cajoled into joining a local neighborhood "social club" that called itself the "Kweens Kouncil of Krusaders"!

This actual group sounds just about as bigoted! :puke:

[gratuitous]

5. So, this represents another sea change? Like Scott Brown?

Ooh listen! Crickets from the major media!

[DaveinMD]

7. not to mention

the fact that he was domestic abuser. Horrible man.

[DaveinMD]

8. not to mention

the fact that he was domestic abuser. Horrible man.

[chollybocker]

11. 60% to 34%.

:thumbsup:

(Apparently, Monserrate bent the election rules a little by bringing his campaign team to sites where people were in the process of voting. That's a paddling.)

[Bluebear]

12. Thank goodness.