New York attorney general’s race gets a second look as polls tighten
By Matthew Daly and Jonathan Turley, Reuters
September 10, 2014, 1:53 a.m.
1 min read
September 10, 2014, 1:53 a.m.
NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s race against the Republican challenger was one of the most closely watched contests this summer, until recently the hottest Democratic primary in history, until it was called off by the New York state board of election for unknown reasons.
Schneiderman remained in the race with a large fund-raising advantage until last week, when Republican Carl Paladino announced he was dropping out, followed by the resignation of New York state party chairman John Thune in disgust. That left the seat still close enough to matter in the high-stakes battle for control of the U.S. Senate.
With less than a week until ballots are cast, a new survey by Quinnipiac University released on Thursday shows a tighter race. It gave Paladino a 52-44 percent lead over Schneiderman, after the Republicans spent heavily to defend their candidate. The race has tightened dramatically to the point where Paladino seems poised to steal the seat from Schneiderman.
But it was an unexpectedly large Democratic voter turnout in New York on Tuesday that could keep Schneiderman’s job and the Democrats’ hopes alive. Election day turned out in large part to be a referendum on the state’s new vote-by-mail system.
Schneiderman’s team was in a precarious position from the start. As the campaign began, the U.S. Attorney was seen as the best candidate against the Republicans, thanks to his experience as one of New York’s most successful state attorneys. He also benefited from the state’s “red-to-blue” law, which allows Republicans to win a state Senate seat even in liberal areas without campaigning in a traditionally blue area.
Republicans had hoped the governor’s