GOP wins N.Y. Senate, puts Women's Equality Act in flux

ALBANY – The battle for control of the state Senate wasn't expected to be decided in a night. But Republicans scored decisive victories Tuesday over three first-term Democratic senators, giving the GOP sole control of the chamber without having to wait for any lengthy recounts or expensive court battles.

Republicans will keep hold of their last slice of power in Albany, with Democrats taking all statewide offices and maintaining a 2-to-1 majority in the Assembly. This will have a major impact on several issues in New York, including proposals pushed by Democrats to bolster state abortion rights and further boost the minimum wage. Republicans oppose both measures.

"Our message resonated, that it's about jobs, it's about the economy, it's about taxes," Senate GOP Leader Dean Skelos of Nassau County said Wednesday on "The Capitol Pressroom," a public-radio program. "That's what resonated with the voters. And unfortunately the Democrat message — unfortunately for them — was just the wrong message."

Democrats had won a slim majority at the polls in 2012, riding a wave of Democratic turnout in a presidential election year in a blue state. But the five-member Independent Democratic Conference partnered with Republicans to share control of the 63-member chamber, leaving the rest of the Democrats out of power.

Republicans flipped three Democratic-held seats Tuesday, one in western New York and two in the Hudson Valley.

Former television anchor Rich Funke bested Sen. Ted O'Brien, D-Irondequoit, in the Rochester area, while Dutchess County Legislator Sue Serino topped Sen. Terry Gipson, D-Rhinebeck. Former Assemblyman George Amedore, a Republican, beat Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, in a district that stretches from the Albany area to Ulster County. O'Brien, Gipson and Tkaczyk were first elected to the Senate in 2012.

Democrats appeared poised to win a western New York seat, where Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, was defeated in a September primary. Grisanti ran on the Independence Party line but unofficial results showed both he and Republican Kevin Stocker trailed Democrat Mark Panepinto.

Come January, there will be 32 Senate Republicans — an outright majority without the breakaway Democratic caucus. And Sen. Simcha Felder, D-Brooklyn, is expected to sit with the GOP, giving the conference 33 members.

The GOP win puts Gov. Andrew Cuomo's 10-point Women's Equality Act in flux. The bill, which includes equal-pay legislation and sexual-harassment protections, has been at the center of an Albany stalemate over the past two years. Senate Republicans refused to act on a provision that would bolster the state's abortion rights to include federal protections, while Assembly Democrats refused to separate it out. Several Democratic candidates, including the three senators who lost, tried to use the issue against their Republican foes.

Tracey Brooks, CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates of New York, cautioned against leaping to conclusions, saying Wednesday it was "still too early to speak definitively about this election."

"It would be a mistake to believe this election was a referendum on the Women's Equality Act or continued statewide support for comprehensive reproductive health care," Brooks said. "Many factors were at play including ... education policy, property taxes and a mood of general dissatisfaction."

State GOP Chairman Ed Cox contended that Republicans in the majority will help thwart efforts by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and other liberals to push Cuomo, a Democrat, to the left. Republican candidates repeatedly tied their Democratic opponents to de Blasio and their New York City allies, playing off long-running tensions between upstate and downstate New York. De Blasio had pushed for a Democratic-led Senate.

"It's a very strong position," Cox said. "While Cuomo has declared that he's going very strongly in a radical progress way and de Blasio is pushing him that way, it's going to be very important for the people of New York that we have a good, strong Republican majority in the Senate."

De Blasio said he was undeterred and didn't view the election as a rebuke of his policies. He said in 2016, the next presidential election, Democrats would prevail. "This is all changing the foundations of the politics of our state," he told reporters. "It got only so far this time, much more to come."

What remains undecided is the Independent Democratic Conference's role. Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Bronx, who heads the caucus, pledged in June to partner with the rest of the Democrats after the election. But in a radio interview Monday, Klein didn't make any firm commitment. A spokesman said he was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

The Republican wins mean Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins of Yonkers won't take on the powerful title of majority leader, which comes with a seat at the table in budget negotiations and the ability to decide what bills are put to a vote.

"The Senate Democratic Conference will continue to advance common sense initiatives to address the serious problems facing this state and to ensure every New Yorker receives the quality, ethical government they deserve," Senate Democratic spokesman Mike Murphy said late Tuesday.

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Albany Bureau Chief Joseph Spector contributed to this report.