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Primary for GOP senator who cast gay marriage vote

A Republican New York state senator from the Hudson Valley who cast a crucial vote to legalize same-sex marriage in New York is facing a primary challenge. WAMC's Dave Lucas has more.

The Poughkeepsie Journal reports state Sen. Steve Saland (suh-LAND') of Poughkeepsie will face Neil Di Carlo.

DiCarlo, of Brewster, accuses Saland of being part of the status quo in Albany over 11 terms in the Senate. His campaign has criticized Saland's vote to legalize same-sex marriage.

Saland says he is running based on his record of accomplishment.

Saland was one of four Republicans whose votes allowed same-sex marriage to pass in the state Senate last June, inspiring outrage from conservatives. Two others, Roy McDonald in Saratoga County and Mark Grisanti in Erie County, also face Republican primaries. The fourth, James Alesi in Rochester, retired.

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.