CAPITOL Mass. election gives N.Y. Republicans cause for optimism Party recovering from 2008 defeats BY MICHAEL GORMLEY The Associated Press Michael Gormley is the Capitol editor for The Associated Press. He can be reached by e-mail at mgormley@ap.org.
New York Republicans are off the endangered species list. Many had left them for dead after the November 2008 elections in which Democrats took every statewide office and control of the Senate and Assembly with all its patronage jobs and influence for sale. Now, Republicans are talking about reclaiming the Senate, maybe even the governor’s offi ce this fall. Their optimism exploded with Tuesday’s win by a Republican in Massachusetts, giving the bluest of states a GOP senator for the first time since 1972 — and in a Kennedy seat, no less. “I think people sense an arrogance in terms of what Democrats are doing,” said state Sen. Dean Skelos, the Republican head of the state Senate’s minority in Albany. He has a long list: Democrats in Washington forcing an expensive and controversial health care system on taxpayers, infighting by Democrats in Albany that led to gridlock and approval by the all-Democratic state government of the highest tax increases in history. “You wonder if anyone in Albany is listening,” said Rick Lazio, the only announced Republican candidate for governor in New York. “Does anybody get it? Is anybody home? ... People have just had enough.” Democrats say they are listening. “The message from yesterday was heard,” said Democratic U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer a day after Republican Scott Brown won in Massachusetts. “And we will show we hear them in the agenda we pursue over the next year,” said Schumer, who as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee from 2006-08 helped give his party the Senate majority. “Our focus must be on jobs, the economy and delivering for the middle class.” ............>>>>....................>>>>...............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01702&AppName=1
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