ALBANY — Democrats will regain control of the state Senate if unofficial results in a handful of key races hold up.
Several Democrats were headed for major upset victories that, if they endure recounts and absentee-ballot tallies, would turn around the GOP’s present 33-29 majority.
But even if Democrats pick up enough seats, it may not be enough to take control.
Four of the current 29 Democrats broke away to create an independent conference last year, have worked with majority Republicans and have given no sign they’d make peace if their party wins back the majority.
What’s more, Democrat Simcha Felder, the projected winner last night over Republican Sen. David Storobin in a conservative, heavily Orthodox Jewish district in Brooklyn, is expected to vote to keep Republican Dean Skelos Senate majority leader — though Felder has insisted he’ll support whichever party takes the majority.
The issue of gay marriage loomed large in Democrats’ success.
Democrat Ted O’Brien won a Rochester-area seat being vacated by pro-gay-marriage Republican James Alesi.
And Democrat Terry Gipson was leading pro-gay-marriage GOP Sen. Stephen Saland of Poughkeepsie by about 1,600 votes in a three-way race in which conservative Republican Neil DiCarlo, who almost beat Saland in a GOP primary, was playing spoiler.
In Nassau County GOP Sen. Kemp Hannon in Nassau County was leading Democrat Ryan Cronin.
And Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk held a razor-thin, 139-vote lead over GOP Assemblyman George Amedore in an Albany-area seat — which Republicans created in this year’s redistricting for Amedore.
Saland — who was cross-endorsed by Gov. Cuomo, a Democrat who led last year’s successful effort to legalize gay marriage — said he remained “optimistic” of victory after nearly 9,000 absentee ballots are counted.
Republicans had been gunning hard and spending big to try to win two Democratic seats downstate but looked like they were falling short.
Democratic Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. declared victory in his battle against Republican City Councilman Eric Ulrich in a storm-ravaged Queens distric, though Ulrich hadn’t conceded as of early this morning.
And Assemblyman George Latimer (D-Westchester) was comfortably ahead of Republican businessman Bob Cohen for the seat of retiring Democrat Suzi Oppenheimer in Westchester. Cohen came within 730 votes of beating Oppenheimer in 2010 — and Republicans redrew the district this year to favor Cohen.
Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) cited raising the minimum wage, tougher gun-control laws, campaign-finance reform and legalizing equal pay for women as issues Democrats could enact with the help of Cuomo and the Democratic-controlled Assembly.
Skelos was mum last night, but GOP spokesman Scott Reif said, “We are confident that once all the votes are in, we will retain our majority.”