GOP Takes Control Of New York State Senate

Update: Someone asked for some commentary. I updated the post at my home blog, but not here. I should have. You can get plenty of context here.

It’s purely a political gimmick. This is NY, after all. The NY GOP isn’t what it might be in traditional Red states. However, assuming the switch holds, it will give Republicans some control in NY state affairs. If they can do anything good with that, it can be good for the GOP, over all. But given the region, we’ll have to wait and see.

Hmm. h/t Lala in comments.

It looks like Republicans have managed to win back control of the New York state Senate.

They have apparently gotten two Democratic members, Hiram Monserrate of Queens and Pedro Espada of the Bronx, to vote with them. That gives Senate Republicans the 32 votes they would need to switch control … thus electing Dean Skelos (R) as the new majority leader and ending Malcolm Smith’s (D) leadership after just six months.

4 Comments Leave a comment

So Dan...

mbecker908 (Diary) Monday, June 8th at 5:53PM EST (link)

could you possibly toss in some commentary – which, BTW, is the purpose of a diary – so that those of us who don’t live in NY and don’t follow NY state politics will have a clue about this. It’s interesting, but so what. Who are the Sens that are switching? Why are they doing it? What will the likely ramifications be? Does the NY Senate have any real impact on legislation or is it a monarchy as I’ve heard in the past?

Please amend the diary and provide some information.

Agreed...I'd like to get an idea about what happened there and how other state parties could learn from it...more detail please! nt

AceInTX (Diary) Monday, June 8th at 6:01PM EST (link)

The “Big Tent” analogy isn’t the correct one…the correct one is a MAGNET…we need to be a MAGNET that draws these independents in who are sick and tired of what’s going on in Washington—Fred Thompson

Added an update

Dan Riehl (Diary) Monday, June 8th at 6:10PM EST (link)

Sorry about that. Check the update and link, you’ll find all the backstory you could want.

Let me just put fourth one ramification:

jeffreywturner (Diary) Monday, June 8th at 10:17PM EST (link)

Assuming this holds through the 2010 election, it will allow the GOP to have a say in the re-drawing of the Congressional districts in 2011. Left to the Dems, they would undoubtedly draw the GOP out of the few remaining seats they have in NY. So, we could be talking 3 or 4 seats in the US Congress staying red as a result of this event.

“Life is too short, can’t we all just eat pork and kill some terrorists?”