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GOP Sen. Saland paves way for quicker end to count

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas
Published December 10, 2012 at 4:38 PM EST

New York state Sen. Stephen Saland may soon be the latest casualty among Republicans who crossed the aisle to vote for the legalization of gay marriage last year. WAMC’s Dave Lucas explains…

The Republican says he's calling off his lawyer to allow for a quick count of absentee ballots in the Hudson Valley's 41st Senate District. Democrat Terry Gipson has held a consistent lead so far.

If Saland loses, then two of four Republicans who cast critical votes for gay marriage last year will have lost their seats. A third retired because of opposition to his vote, and a fourth was re-elected.

If Gipson's lead holds, Democrats will have 32 seats in the chamber that requires 32 to pass legislation. However, Republicans have formed a power-sharing majority with five breakaway Democrats.

©2012 AP
Hudson Valley News
Dave Lucas
Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
See stories by Dave Lucas