The voters were mad too, Carl.
In yet another example of the power of insurgency - and the Tea Party - maverick Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino came from virtually nowhere to swamp former Congressman Rick Lazio in Tuesday night's primary race for the Republican nomination for governor.
Paladino - whose orange “I'm mad, too” campaign posters popped up virtually everywhere throughout the region in the past few weeks - handily upset Lazio, the Republican Party backed candidate. He declared victory holding a 66-34 percent lead with 53 percent of the votes in.
“If we learned anything tonight,” he told cheering supporters in Buffalo, “it's that New Yorkers are as mad as hell.”
Lazio later conceded defeat, saying “There's a lot more work to be done. Count on me to be part of it.”
With nearly all of the votes counted in Ulster County, Paladino was overwhelming Lazio by a more than three to one margin. He also handily defeated Lazio in Orange. Statewide, Lazio appeared to be winning the Conservative Party nomination.
Paladino, who came from virtually nowhere in the race to face heavily favored Democrat, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, apparently rode the wave of insurgent, Tea Party fever that's been capturing the country.
Local Republican insiders and outsiders said Lazio - a frontrunner for most of the campaign endorsed by much of the Republican establishment - was vulnerable not only due to that anti establishment fever, but because of several missteps by his campaign and party.
Despite the national surge for Tea Party candidates, Lazio disappointed members of one local group, the Orange Sullivan 912 Tea Party, with his last minute cancellation of a meeting with its members. Paladino met twice with the group.
“Lazio stood us up,” said 912 Tea Party organizer Sheryl Thomas of Bloomingburg - although Orange County Republican chairman Bill DeProspo said Lazio did meet twice with other Orange Tea Party members.
“And Paladino stuck to his principles, and he said he's going to take a baseball bat to Albany, while Lazio's campaign was so lackluster,” she said. “Besides, Lazio's for everything the Democrats are for, like the stimulus. I think he'd be a week candidate.”
DeProspo, a Lazio backer, offered another reason for his candidate's weak showing - the state Republican party's early support of Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, a Democrat who switched parties to run for governor.
“Ed Cox (New York State Republican Party chairman) crippled his (Lazio's) chances before the campaign began by courting Steve Levy,” DeProspo said. “And to this day, he's never been able to recover.”
Now Paladino faces an even bigger uphill battle against Cuomo.
That's why the firey maverick Tuesday night offered an olive branch to Lazio supporters.
“You're welcome to join the people's crusade,” he said.
And at least one Lazio backer supporter indicated he would switch candidates.
“If voters believe he has the best chance to take the governor's mansion and beat Cuomo, I'll get on board and back Paladino,” said DeProspo.