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Gay Marriage Vote a Factor in Fall Elections

Governor Cuomo made a rare endorsement in a State Senate contest on Monday when he backed Democratic incumbent Joseph Addabbo, who’s locked in a tight race with a Republican challenger.  Addabbo was one of a handful of Senators who provided swing votes to pass gay marriage last year. As Karen DeWitt reports, the repercussions from the historic vote last year continue to play out in this fall’s elections.  

When the New York State Senate voted on same sex marriage last year, four Republicans and three Democrats switched their positions to approve the measure, after voting no the first time gay marriage came up for a vote in 2009.    

The Republican Senators who voted yes were praised for their courage by Governor Cuomo and others, but it may have been a poor decision for their immediate political futures. Two of the four will not be returning to Albany for another term. Senator James Alesi , of the Rochester  area, did not seek re election and  Senator Roy McDonald of the Capital Region lost in a republican primary on September 13th. Senator Stephen Saland of the Hudson Valley barely squeaked by in a close primary contest.  Senator Mark Grisanti of the Buffalo area was the only one to easily beat back a primary challenge.

But others say the successful gay marriage vote may have averted a larger threat for Republicans, who have been struggling to hold onto a narrow majority in the Senate. Bruce Gyory is a political consultant and SUNY Albany political science professor.  

“This could look very different November 7th than it did September 14th,” said Gyory.

Gyory says if the Senate GOP had not permitted the vote to go forward, some Republican incumbents would have been the target of pro gray marriage groups. The groups  could have helped Democratic opponents in many districts where voters are evenly split between the two parties, or in some cases, where registered Democrats hold a slight edge. He says Senator Skelos  was politically smart to agree to hold the vote, even though he and most of the other Republicans planned to vote no.  

“Senator Skelos showed great leadership in maneuvering to get this up for a vote,” Gyory said. “And in working with the governor.”

Governor Cuomo has had a good  relationship with Senate Republicans, partly due to their acquiescence on the same sex marriage vote. Without that cooperation, Gyory says, Cuomo might have campaigned actively for Democrats to take over the Senate. So far, Cuomo’s remained relatively neutral, offering to back one Republican Senator, Roy McDonald and one Democratic Senator, Joe Addabbo, of Queens, who had provided the swing votes.    

Cuomo offered to endorse GOP Senator McDonald, if McDonald were to continue on after the primary on the Independence Party line for the November election, but McDonald decided to drop out instead.  He backed Addabbo in an announcement on Columbus Day.

The two other Democratic Senators who switched their votes and helped approve gay marriage will also not be returning to the Capitol for another term, but the end of their political careers had nothing to do with their same sex marriage vote.   Senator Carl Kruger of Brooklyn   is now serving prison time for a bribery conviction, and  Senator Shirley Huntley of Queens lost September’s  Democratic primary after being arrested and charged with funneling state money into a phony charity. She’s pleaded not guilty.

Karen DeWitt is Capitol Bureau chief for the New York Public News Network, composed of a dozen newsrooms across the state. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.