New York, NY –
Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the state senate, has lost his bid to get his seat back. He lost to Democratic Assemblyman Jose Peralta in a special election in Queens last night. WNYC's Ailsa Chang reports.
REPORTER: It wasn't even close. The unofficial returns gave Peralta 65 percent of the vote, Monserrate had 27 percent, and Republican Robert Beltrani got 7. About 15,000 people in Queens came out to vote yesterday, a record turnout for a special election. Peralta will be sworn in today. He said he felt a duty to run for Senate rather than remain in the Assembly because a man like Monserrate, who was convicted of assaulting his girlfriend, doesn't belong in public office. But Monserrate says he's going nowhere. He wouldn't confirm whether he'll run for Peralta's Assembly seat, but he did say one thing. New Yorkers haven't seen the last of his new independent party, which he calls "Yes We Can." For WNYC, I'm Ailsa Chang.
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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