By Herald Staff
In the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Long Beach, Lido Beach and Point Lookout, King defeated Democratic challenger David Mejias by more than 11 points, 55.5 percent to 44.4 percent. Mejias's campaign tried to make the case that King was too supportive of the president's Iraq policy, but either the charge didn't resonate with 3rd C.D. voters, or it did, and a majority approved of King's steadfastness.
King's win also countered a strong night for state Democrats. New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer won the governor's race in a rout over upstate Assemblyman John Fasso. Spitzer will be succeeded as attorney general by Andrew Cuomo, another Democrat, who beat former Westchester County District Attorney Jeannine Pirro in an ugly race. Scandal-plagued Comptroller Alan Hevesi fought off a late charge by J. Christopher Callaghan to keep his job. And U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton was soundly re-elected over former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer in what many expected to be a prelude to a run for president by the former first lady in 2008.
But the local Republicans were at least able to enjoy a victory by King, who throughout the campaign was the subject of intense criticism.
As King walked on stage to cheers of "Peter! Peter!" at 11:20 p.m. at Mirelle's Restaurant in Westbury, where the local GOP gathered, Nassau Republican Party Chairman Joseph Mondello introduced him as "a man who never compromised his principles for a minute."
"I look upon this re-election as a mandate to stand up to terrorism," King said.
Across town, it was all joy for Rep. Carolyn McCarthy as the Democratic congresswoman from Mineola ascended to the platform with her family at the party's election-night headquarters in Westbury. "Let's hope by this time tomorrow night, Democrats will be in charge of the House," McCarthy, whose district includes East Atlantic Beach, said after county Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs announced her victory over Republican Martin Blessinger of Floral Park about 45 minutes after polls closed.
"Can you believe it's 10 years?" McCarthy asked the packed room of supporters, referring to her five terms representing the 4th Congressional District. McCarthy said she and her fellow legislators would now get to work on passing a minimum-wage increase and a prescription drug plan, and work to reduce the interest rates on college loans. "What you're going to see is us working with our Republican colleagues," she said.
In the state's 9th Senate District, which includes the entire Long Beach barrier island, Republican Dean Skelos handily defeated his Democratic challenger, Odelia Goldberg of Lawrence, by a margin of more than 60 percent to less than 40 percent.
During the campaign, Skelos, the Senate's deputy majority leader, said he has used his influence in Albany to bring back much-needed aid to his district.
"I think we did an amazing job," Goldberg said in her concession speech. "We fought tooth and nail, and we did it with dignity and honor. I'm running again for sure."
In the 20th Assembly District, which also covers the entire barrier island, Democrat Harvey Weisenberg was leading his Republican opponent, Frank McQuade, by a 2-to-1 margin. "I do my job every day," Weisenberg said Tuesday night. "The voters made an educated decision. ... If you do your job, people will re-elect you. I'm one of those guys. I'm everywhere and I stay there."
As the vote counting continued, McQuade said, "I think we will surprise a lot of people on how close we came," but he added that this would be his last run for elective office. But when the final tally came in, Weisenberg had won more than 70 percent of the vote.
Comments about this story? DMiller@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
