A New York state senator who was expelled after a domestic violence conviction has lost his long-shot bid to get his seat back in a special election.
In complete but unofficial returns, Assemblyman Jose Peralta had 65 percent of the vote, while Hiram Monserrate had 27 percent. Local Democratic officials had endorsed Peralta, and he was 45 points ahead in a recent poll.
Republican candidate Robert Beltrani garnered 7 percent of the vote in the heavily Democratic district.
Monserrate was ousted from his seat in February after a misdemeanor conviction for dragging his girlfriend through an apartment lobby. He failed to get his expulsion blocked in federal court, but got on the ballot for the special election to fill his old seat in the 13th state Senate district in Queens.
New York State Assemblyman Jose Peralta, right, solicits a vote from a man entering the polling place at PS 127 in Flushing, N.Y., Tuesday, March 16, 2010. Peralta is running against former New York State Senator Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled after a domestic violence conviction and is making a long-shot bid to get his seat back in a special election. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Monserrate apologized for any discredit he brought to the Senate, but said the facial cut his girlfriend suffered that night was an accident. He said the surveillance footage of him pulling her by the arm showed him taking her to the hospital.
Also Tuesday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals explained in writing its Friday decision to reject Monserrate’s attempt to get his seat back through a lawsuit.
The court said that even if Monserrate had won in court, he still would not have won reinstatement or been able to cancel the special election.
The assault case was another black eye for state lawmakers already reeling from a series of corruption scandals.
Democratic party leaders had worked hard for Peralta, who raised far more money and grabbed virtually every endorsements from local party and labor leaders. Monserrate also was targeted for defeat by a gay rights group and was heckled at a candidates’ debate last week.
But with special elections notoriously difficult to predict because of low turnout, the Peralta campaign focused on getting people to the polls.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver congratulated Peralta, calling him a “strong, charismatic leader” and a “champion of equality for all New Yorkers” in a statement.
“We wish him well in his new endeavor, and we look forward to working with Senator Peralta to address the many challenges facing the state of New York,” Silver said.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
