New York, NY –
Former state senator Hiram Monserrate from Queens will try to win back his seat in tomorrow's special election. Monserrate was expelled from the senate after being convicted of assaulting his girlfriend.
He spent the last day of the campaign riding in the back of a pickup truck waving posters, fliers, and blasting his message through speakers.
Wilson Chauca of Corona says the community needs to move past Monserrate’s negative headlines. He says few people are talking about the positive things Monserrate has done for the local immigrant population.
“I think he deserves another chance. He made a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes. There are so many politicians that make mistakes,” Chauca says.
Angela Munez agrees that the district needs to talk about substantive issues, but she's ready for a fresh face. She says Monserrate has already had his chance in the senate and it didn't work.
“I want to see something different. You have to try another person to see the new ideas that he has. You never know,” Munez says.
Monserrate, a Democrat, is running as an independent, because the Democratic Party is backing Assemblyman Jose Peralta. Robert Beltrani is running on the Republican ticket.
Polls are open tomorrow from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Ailsa Chang is an award-winning journalist who covers criminal justice, terrorism and the courts for WNYC. She found her way into public radio after practicing law for five years, and can definitely say that walking the streets of New York City with a microphone is a lot more fun than being holed up in the office writing letters to opposing counsel.
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