New Yorkers throw the bums out

Both the Daily News and the Post yesterday urged New Yorkers to go to the polls and ‘throw the bums out,’ and they did just that.

Gustavo Rivera trounced scandal-plagued Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr. [D-Bronx] by a 67 to 28 percent margin. Espada remained defiant after he conceded to Rivera. “Understand I am not quitting anything,” he told supporters at a Bronx bar as the New York Times reported. “As I go to sleep and wake up re-energized, I am ready for a new fight.”

Espada’s ‘new fight’ may very well come separate courtrooms as he continues to defend himself against allegations he siphoned $14 million from the Soundview Health Center and questions about whether he actually lives in the district he represents in Albany. He is not the only politician, however, New Yorkers sent packing last night.

Francisco Moya easily defeated disgraced former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate [D-Jackson Heights] in a race to fill a vacant Queens Assembly seat. Tim Kennedy defeated incumbent state Sen. Bill Stachowski [D-Lake View]. And in arguably the most surprising result of the night, Buffalo developer Carl Paladino trounced former Congressman Rick Lazio to secure the Republican gubernatorial nomination. The insurgent will square off against Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in November.