1992 United States Senate election in New York explained

Election Name:1992 United States Senate election in New York
Country:New York
Flag Image:Flag of New York (1909–2020).svg
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1986 United States Senate election in New York
Previous Year:1986
Next Election:1998 United States Senate election in New York
Next Year:1998
Election Date:November 3, 1992
Image1:Alfonse D'Amato.jpg
Nominee1:Al D'Amato
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:3,166,994
Percentage1:49.03%
Nominee2:Robert Abrams
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Alliance2:Liberal
Popular Vote2:3,086,200
Percentage2:47.78%
Map Size:300px
U.S. Senator
Before Election:Al D'Amato
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
After Election:Al D'Amato
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 1992 United States Senate election in New York took place on November 3, 1992, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Senator Al D'Amato narrowly won re-election to a third term. As of, this is the last time Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in New York, & the last time that the winning presidential and U.S. Senate candidates in New York were of different political parties.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Withdrew

Results

Senator D'Amato was unopposed for re-nomination.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Withdrew

Declined

Campaign

The Democratic primary campaign featured State Attorney General Robert Abrams, former U.S. Congresswoman and 1984 vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, Reverend Al Sharpton, and New York City Comptroller and former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman. Congressman Robert J. Mrazek was also an early candidate, but withdrew from the race after being named in the House banking scandal.[3] Abrams was considered the initial front-runner.[4]

Ferraro emphasized her career as a teacher, prosecutor, congresswoman, and mother, and positioned herself as being tough on crime.[5] She soon took the lead in the polls, additionally capitalizing on her name recognition from 1984. However, she drew attacks from the media and her opponents over her husband John Zaccaro's finances and business relationships.[6] Initially, Ferraro used the attacks in an attempt to galvanize the feminist vote, but her lead began to dwindle under the criticism, and she released additional tax returns in an attempt to defray the attacks.[7] [8] Holtzman ran a negative ad accusing Ferraro and Zaccaro of taking more than $300,000 in rent in the 1980s from a pornographer with purported ties to organized crime.[9]

Results

In the primary, Abrams won by less than one percentage point, winning 37 percent of the vote to Ferraro's 36 percent.[10] Ferraro did not concede the election for two weeks.[11]

General election

Campaign

After Abrams emerged as the nominee, the Democrats remained divided. In particular, Abrams spent much of the remainder of the campaign trying to get Ferraro's endorsement. Ferraro, enraged and bitter after the nature of the primary,[7] [11] ignored Abrams, and accepted Bill Clinton's request to campaign for his presidential bid instead. She was eventually persuaded by state party leaders into giving an unenthusiastic endorsement, with just three days to go before the general election, in exchange for an apology by Abrams for the tone of the primary.[12]

Abrams was also accused of engaging in ethnically charged attacks against the Italian ancestry of both Ferraro and D'Amato. Ahead of the primary, Ferraro sought to defend herself against accusations that she received financial support from organized crime in her 1978 congressional campaign, claiming that, "If I were not Italian American, this whole thing would never have been brought up."[13] In October, Abrams was again accused of anti-Italian political attacks, after calling D'Amato a "fascist" at a campaign event and alleging that he had engaged in the "big lie techniques" of Nazi propaganda officers.[14] At a Columbus Day parade the following day, D'Amato accused Abrams of engaging in ethnic insults on his Italian ancestry, and in a subsequent campaign ad featured images of Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini to depict the word "fascist" as an anti-Italian slur.[15] Abrams narrowly lost the general election, partially as a result of these controversies.[16]

Results

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. News: JULY 5-11: Rockefeller vs. D'Amato; A Powerful Political Name Reappears in New York . The New York Times . Todd S. . Purdum . July 12, 1992.
  2. News: Schwartz. Maralee. Kurtz. Howard. June 9, 1991. D'AMATO FOE GREEN RULES OUT REMATCH IN NEW YORK IN '92. Washington Post.
  3. Web site: Mrazek Is Said to Be Ready to Quit Senate Race. The New York Times. Pear. Robert. March 20, 1992. June 24, 2018.
  4. News: In Senate Campaign, Ferraro Picks Up Where She Left Off . Kolbert, Elizabeth . . October 21, 1991.
  5. Book: Braden, Maria . Women Politicians and the Media . . Lexington, Kentucky . 1996 . 0-8131-1970-7 . 135.
  6. News: For Ferraro, Cheers of '84 Are Still Resonating . Mitchell, Alison . . September 1, 1992.
  7. Book: Lurie, Leonard . Senator Pothole: The Unauthorized Biography of Al D'Amato . . 1994 . 1-55972-227-4 . 465, 467 . registration .
  8. News: Ferraro Releases Tax Returns for 2 Missing Years to Offset Attacks by Rivals . Blumenthal, Ralph . . September 11, 1992.
  9. News: Holtzman Draws Criticism From Feminists Over Ads . Mitchell, Alison . . August 27, 1992.
  10. News: Abrams, In Tight Senate Vote, Appears to Edge Out Ferraro . Purdum, Todd S. . Todd Purdum . . September 16, 1992.
  11. News: Abrams Gets A Concession From Ferraro . Verhovek, Sam Howe . . October 1, 1992.
  12. News: Ferraro Gets An Apology From Abrams . Manegold, Catherine S. . . November 1, 1992.
  13. News: Treadwell . David . September 15, 1992 . '92 POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE : A Family Feud Comes to a Close - at Ballot Box: N.Y. Senate primary today ends Democratic fight over Ferraro. But GOP could benefit.. Los Angeles Times .
  14. News: Mouat . Lucia . October 22, 1992 . D'Amato, Abrams Splatter Road To US Senate With Lots of Mud . Christian Science Monitor . August 18, 2018 .
  15. News: Stanley . Alessandra . November 5, 1992 . THE 1992 ELECTIONS: NEW YORK STATE - U.S. SENATE RACE; D'Amato: Combining Money, Attacks, and Foe's Blunders . New York Times . August 18, 2018 .
  16. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DB1138F93AA3575AC0A965958260 Attorney General Abrams to Quit To Join a Law Firm in Manhattan
  17. https://buffalonews.com/1992/10/30/poll-shows-senate-race-a-dead-heat-two-points-separate-abrams-damato/ Buffalo News/Political-Media Research Inc.