By Karen DeWitt
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-932748.mp3
Midtown Manhattan – Andrew Cuomo, saying he will bring "competence, performance and integrity" back to government, says his opponent, the defeated GOP candidate Carl Paladino, tried in vain to divide and conquer New Yorkers.
"The people of this state today say you're not going to divide us'," Cuomo told the cheering crowd. "You can try it somewhere else, but you're not going to sell that in New York."
Now, the hard work begins. The state faces a more than $8 billion dollar budget deficit and is mired in recession. Cuomo says he intends to follow through with his fiscally conservative agenda to freeze taxes and spending, and enact a property tax cap, goals that are sure to bring push back from traditional democratic allies, like labor unions.
Cuomo says the time for politics is over, and Democrats and Republicans need to work together to "clean up Albany".
Shortly after midnight, Democratic Attorney General candidate Eric Schneiderman declared victory, saying he led a "campaign of activists", and that he planned to go after "bad actors" on Wall Street and in government to fight corruption.
Schneiderman, a State Senator, had been in a statistical dead heat with GOP candidate Dan Donovan, but he benefited in the closing days of the campaign from joint appearances with Cuomo in last minute get out the vote rallies.
Cuomo remained neutral in the Comptroller's race, and early Wednesday morning, Democratic candidate and current state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli was trailing Republican Harry Wilson.