1990 New York State Comptroller election

Last updated

1990 New York State Comptroller election
Flag of New York (1909-2020).svg
  1986 November 6, 1990 1994  
  College Photo of Edward V. Regan.png Carol Bellamy.jpg
Nominee Edward Regan Carol Bellamy
Party Republican Democratic
Alliance Conservative Liberal
Popular vote1,942,9111,841,826
Percentage49.24%46.68%

1990 New York Comptroller election.svg
County results
Regan:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70-80%
Bellamy:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

New York Comptroller before election

Edward Regan
Republican

Elected New York Comptroller

Edward Regan
Republican

The 1990 New York State Comptroller election took place on November 6, 1990. Republican nominee and incumbent Comptroller Edward Regan narrowly defeated Democratic nominee Carol Bellamy, winning a fourth term in office. He staved off attacks from Carol Bellamy that he was an "ineffective watchdog", though such hefty competition made this his closest race in 12 years. [1]

Contents

Carol Bellamy was also described by the New York Times as Regan's "most serious challenge to Regan in his 12 years in office". This was in part due to investigations into Regan that, while not producing any charges, resulted in serious public scandal and the release of an embarrassing memorandum from one of his aides. The result of this was attacks from Bellamy that Regan had rewarded contributors with "fat contracts". Regan also produced counter-attacks on the Bellamy campaign, accusing Bellamy of accepting nearly $40,000 from Carl C. Icahn. [2]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Debates

Andrew J. Spano (Westchester County Clerk) was reluctant to attack Carol Bellamy in the primary debates, with both candidates primarily aiming their rhetorical fire at republican incumbent Edward V. Regan. [4] Instead, both candidates emphasized their personal strengths in the primary debates, of which there were presumably several.

In one of the debates (this one held after the one referenced earlier), both Spano and Bellamy attacked Governor Mario Cuomo for usage of "one time revenue sources and taping money from the pension funds to ... balance the budget", prompting a response from the Governor's press secretary that the two Democrats were "not well informed". There was also in this debate one attack made, against Carol Bellamy. Andrew Spano argued that Bellamy had "twisted arms" in the Democratic State Convention (held in June) in order to get on the ballot. Bellamy refuted this by reasserting that she was "independent". [5]

Democratic fundraising & name recognition

As of September 3, 1990, prior to the occurrence of the primary, Bellamy had gathered roughly $700,000 in campaign contributions. Spano had collected $160,000, but his outstripped the $30,000 in cash that he had on hand. Polling as of this date also indicated that Bellamy had a greater level of name recognition than Spano. [4]

Results

Bellamy won every county in the state except for two: Clinton County and Sparrow's home county of Westchester. [6]

Democratic Party Primary Results 99% Reporting [7] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Carol Bellamy 241,737 71.0%
Democratic Andrew J. Spano98,14629.0%
Total votes339,883 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Voter turnout

Regan was carried to victory on the backs of Suburban and Upstate voters, which turned out in stronger numbers as a result of the 2 billion dollar environmental bond act. [2] Further, turnout among upstate voters was roughly 55% of eligible voters, while turnout among eligible voters in New York City was only 36%. [2] [8]

Results

1990 New York State Comptroller Election [9] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Edward Regan (incumbent) 1,942,911 49.24% N/A
Democratic Carol Bellamy 1,841,82646.68%N/A
Right to Life Donna M. Kearney116,7432.96%N/A
Libertarian Vicki Kirkland17,0930.43%N/A
New Alliance Emmy Gay15,7520.40%N/A
Socialist WorkersAaron Ruby11,1180.28%N/A
Total votes3,945,443 100.00%

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Bellamy</span> American politician

Carol Bellamy is an American nonprofit executive and former politician. She is chair of the board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF). Previously, she was director of the Peace Corps, executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and president and CEO of World Learning. She is also the chair of children's rights advocacy organization ECPAT International, working to end the sexual exploitation of children. After three terms in the New York State Senate, she was the first woman to be elected to any citywide office in NYC as President of the New York City Council, a position she held until her unsuccessful bid for Mayor of New York in 1985; she was the second to last person to hold this position.

Arthur Jay Finkelstein was a New York state-based Republican Party (GOP) consultant who worked for conservative and right-wing candidates in the United States, Canada, Israel, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe over four decades.

Andrew J. Spano is an American politician who served as Westchester County Executive from 1998 to 2009. Spano was defeated by challenger Rob Astorino in the November 2009 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Spano</span> American politician

Mike Spano is an American politician who serves as the 42nd mayor of Yonkers, New York. He is a member of the Democratic Party. A former Republican, he served as a member of the New York State Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 United States Senate election in South Dakota</span>

The 1996 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held on November 4, 1996. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Larry Pressler ran for re-election to a fourth term, but was narrowly defeated by Democratic nominee Tim Johnson by 9,000 votes. Pressler was the only incumbent Senator to lose reelection in the 1996 election cycle, of which this was the only Democratic flip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 New York City mayoral election</span> Election

The New York City mayoral election of 1997 occurred on Tuesday November 4, 1997, with incumbent Republican mayor Rudy Giuliani soundly defeating Democratic Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger and several third-party candidates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 New York state elections</span> 2006 elections in the state of New York

New York held various elections on November 7, 2006. Most notably, elections were held for the state governor, attorney general, comptroller, and for the U.S. Senate, all of which saw Democrats win and build on their existing majority. While Democrats had already been a strong force in the New York City area, most of the Democratic gains in 2006 occurred upstate. Former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer won the 2006 gubernatorial election by a record margin, while Andrew Cuomo replaced him as the new attorney general. Alan Hevesi was re-elected as comptroller, despite mounting ethics concerns. Hillary Clinton was re-elected to the Senate. For the first time in over 50 years, all major statewide elected offices were held by one party. For the first time in over 60 years, they were all held by Democrats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 New York gubernatorial election</span> Election

The 1986 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Incumbent Democratic governor Mario Cuomo defeated Republican Andrew O'Rourke, the County Executive of Westchester County in a landslide. Cuomo carried all but 5 counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1982 New York gubernatorial election</span> Election

The 1982 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Incumbent Democratic Governor Hugh Carey chose not to run for a third term, which resulted in an open race. Democratic nominee Mario Cuomo, the Lieutenant Governor of New York, narrowly defeated Republican Lewis Lehrman, a banker who ran as a conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Arizona gubernatorial election</span> Review of the election

The 2002 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican Governor Jane Dee Hull was term-limited. The Democratic nominee, Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano, narrowly defeated Republican Matt Salmon, a former U.S. Representative. Upon her inauguration, Napolitano became the first woman to succeed another woman as Governor of a state. Until 2022, this was the last gubernatorial election in Arizona in which the margin of victory was single digits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas</span> 1994 House elections in Texas

The 1994 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas occurred on November 8, 1994, to elect the members of the state of Texas's delegation to the United States House of Representatives. Texas had thirty seats in the House, apportioned according to the 1990 United States Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1993 New York City mayoral election</span> American contest to be Mayor of the City of New York

The 1993 New York City mayoral election was held on Tuesday, November 2. Incumbent Mayor David Dinkins ran for re-election to a second term, but lost in a rematch with Republican Rudy Giuliani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Washington elections</span>

A general election was held in the U.S. state of Washington on November 8, 2016. The primary was held on August 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections</span> House elections for the 116th U.S. Congress

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 6, 2018, as part of the 2018 midterm elections during President Donald Trump's term, with early voting taking place in some states in the weeks preceding that date. Voters chose representatives from all 435 congressional districts across each of the 50 U.S. states to serve in the 116th United States Congress. Non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and four of the five inhabited U.S. territories were also elected. On Election Day, Republicans had held a House majority since January 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States presidential election in New York</span>

The 2020 United States presidential election in New York was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. New York voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, incumbent President Donald Trump, and running mate Vice President Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his running mate California Senator Kamala Harris. New York had 29 electoral votes in the Electoral College. Trump announced that Florida would be his home state for this election, rather than New York as it had been previously. This was the first presidential election in New York to allow no-excuse absentee voting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the six U.S. representatives from the state of Kentucky, one from each of the state's six congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Pillen</span> 41st Governor of Nebraska

James Douglas Pillen is an American politician, veterinarian and livestock producer serving as the 41st and current governor of Nebraska since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Pillen served on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents from 2013 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 New York State Senate election</span>

The 2022 New York State Senate election was held on November 8, 2022. Elections were held to elect representatives from all 63 districts across the State of New York. This election coincided with New York elections for the governorship, U.S. Senate, and state assembly, among others. Districts for this election were redrawn following the 2020 United States census. Democrats have held a majority in the New York State Senate since January 2019, as a result of the 2018 elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 New York's 19th congressional district special election</span> Election following resignation of Antonio Delgado

The 2022 New York's 19th congressional district special election was a special election held on August 23, 2022. The seat became vacant after incumbent Democratic representative Antonio Delgado resigned on May 25, 2022, to become lieutenant governor of New York. Democratic nominee Pat Ryan won a slight victory over Republican nominee Marc Molinaro in what was seen as an upset due to Molinaro's lead in polls and fundraising in the weeks leading to the election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 New York State Comptroller election</span> 1986 Comptroller Election in New York State

The 1986 New York State Comptroller election took place on November 4, 1986, to elect a candidate to the position of Comptroller. Republican nominee and incumbent Comptroller Edward Regan defeated Democratic nominee Herman Badillo, resulting in his election to the third of four consecutive terms he held as comptroller.

References

  1. Verhovek, Sam Howe (November 7, 1990). "The 1990 Elections: New York - Comptroller Contest; Regan Edges Bellamy in Closest Race in 12 Years". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Verhovek, Sam Howe (November 8, 1990). "THE 1990 ELECTIONS: Comptroller Race; Suburban and Upstate Voters Carry Regan to Narrow Victory". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Lynn, Frank (September 10, 1990). "Local Contests Dominate New York Primary Elections". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Verhovek, Sam Howe; Times, Special To the New York (September 3, 1990). "In Race for Comptroller, Rivals With Same Foe". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  5. Lynn, Frank (September 8, 1990). "Rivals in Comptroller Debate Aim at Cuomo". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Lynn, Frank (September 12, 1990). "Bellamy Is Easy Winner In Race for Comptroller". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  7. "THE 1990 ELECTIONS; Primary Results: Setting the Stage for November". The New York Times. September 13, 1990. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  8. Sack, Kevin; Times, Special To the New York (November 5, 1990). "THE 1990 CAMPAIGN; Low New York Voter Turnout Seen". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  9. "1990 Comptroller General Election Results". uselectionatlas. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  10. "Our Campaigns - NY Comptroller Race - Nov 06, 1990". www.ourcampaigns.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2023.

See also

Preceded by
1986
New York Comptroller election
1990
Succeeded by
1994