By Dan Murphy
Yonkers democrat Shelley Mayer won a resounding victory on Tuesday night in a special election for State Senate in the 37th District, which includes East Yonkers and runs north up the sound shore to North Castle. Mayer defeated republican Julie Killian by a 58%-42% margin.
“I am honored to be part of the blue wave; I am honored to be part of your movement; and I am honored to be your new State Senator,” said Mayer to a large crowd of supporters that included Governor Andrew Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul at Molly Spillane’s in Mamaroneck.
“This has been an amazing campaign, and I am so proud to be the next State Senator for the 37th District. It was a spirited and hard-fought race, but this campaign was always bigger than me. All of us are part of something bigger, a movement for change, a blue wave rising in special election after special election. Tonight, that wave rolled across Westchester, from Yonkers to Bedford,” said Mayer.
“This race was about finally bringing a Democratic majority to the State Senate so that New York can once again be a progressive leader we can – and should – be. It was about the strength and energy of a big tent-Democratic Party where labor, Indivisibles, activists come together to fight for our shared values. It was about rejecting Trumpism and standing tall against bigotry as we fight for women’s rights, victims of sexual misconduct, environmental protections, and common-sense gun control.
“This victory would not be possible without the support of my family, Governor Cuomo, Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, County Executive George Latimer, elected officials across the state, my brothers and sisters in labor, advocates, all the Indivisibles of Westchester, and the hard work of my army of dedicated volunteers and talented campaign team. You have shown the way forward. You demonstrated to everyone in this district, in this state, and across the nation how we are going to take this country back. By reaching out, by focusing on our shared values, and most of all by working hard and working together,” said Mayer.
Killian conceded the race on election night with her supporters in Eastchester. “New York is a great state. I was born here and I’m staying here. Let’s continue to fight for what’s right for New York,” said Killian who also thanked her family, supporters and volunteers.
This is the second loss for Killian for this Senate seat. Killian lost two years ago to then Senator-now County Executive George Latimer. It is also interesting to note that Latimer defeated Killian by a 56%-44% margin in 2016, while Mayer defeated Killian by a 58%-42% margin Tuesday, which is a testament to Mayer’s popularity not only in Yonkers but throughout the district.
In fact, Mayer was so popular that she may have provided some coattails in the other special election contest Tuesday night for County Legislator in the 11th District representing New Rochelle and Pelham where Democrat Terry Clements narrowly defeated republican James Freeman in a district that was represented by republican Jim Maisano for twenty years.
If not Mayer’s coattails, then it is certainly the enthusiasm and energy and volunteerism coming from the democratic side, from the progressive, indivisible, anti-Trump segment of the Westchester community, that pushed Clements and gave Mayer her decisive victory.
One of our colleagues in the media told us that “in 20 years I have never seen this type of enthusiasm for any candidate, especially in a special election, in Westchester. The passion in the room on election night, with the Governor showing up, had more of a national flavor.”
That same enthusiasm is what drove County Executive George Latimer to a 14-point victory over Rob Astorino last November. Latimer’s 57%-43% victory over Astorino, and Mayer’s 58%-42% victory over Killian, are similar and point to a permanency or sorts for the Blue Wave of democratic support in Westchester.
For now, Westchester, and Yonkers, is in the middle of the debate in Albany for control of the State Senate. Republicans have held a majority in the State Senate over the past 6 years, but with Mayer’s victory democrats now hold 32 of the 63 senate seats.
And Yonkers now has 2 State Senators who call the City home, something that has never occurred, and if the democrats can unite, Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins from Yonkers will become the Majority Leader of the State Senate.
Republicans in Albany threw everything including the kitchen sink at Mayer during the campaign. “They bloodied her up good, but they couldn’t knock her down,” said one old political watcher. Most of the insinuations and accusations against Mayer did not resonate with the voters, as evidenced by her large margin of victory.
Mayer will have to run again in November but will be running on a ticket with Governor Andrew Cuomo, making it even tougher for republicans to retake this seat in the fall. This senate seat was re-drawn 8 years ago by republicans to make it possible for a republican to win. Eight years later, with three victories by Latimer and one by Mayer, it hasn’t happened.
Rumors are that Killian will not run again in November, leaving unknown who will try to lift the republican flag in Westchester. Another rumor can also be put to rest; that Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano was still interested in running for this senate seat and that if Killian defeated Mayer, Spano would have attempted to be the candidate in November. Those dreams were dashed as we watched Governor Cuomo embrace Mayer on Tuesday night.
We also heard from some voters outside of Yonkers that “I don’t want my senator to be from Yonkers because my interests will never be heard.” Those beliefs were over washed by the blue wave of democratic voters along the sound shore and north who volunteered and voted for Shelley.
For Yonkers Rising, this election was a ‘Yonkers thing’. We heard over the past 3 months many of our republican and independent friends telling us off the record that Shelley was going to win or that they were quietly supporting Shelley. Those comments used to be common for candidates of both parties twenty years ago, but it never happens today, because of the hyper-partisanship in our City, County, State and nation. There are very few elected officials in Westchester that can cross over this political divide, but we have always seen that with Shelley Mayer. Congratulations Senator-Elect Mayer.
