State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli posted a late push to apparently stave off scrappy Republican Harry Wilson in last night’s most suspenseful statewide race.
With 94 percent of the returns counted early this morning, DiNapoli was leading, 50.1 percent to 46.8 percent.
DiNapoli, who was appointed to his post by Democratic powerbrokers, was trying to hold off a Republican newcomer who was hoping to capitalize on voter disgust with Albany.
Aides for Wilson’s camp said he would not concede until absentee ballots were counted.
DiNapoli — a close ally of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver — was appointed to his post in 2007, when he replaced the disgraced Alan Hevesi, who was booted in what turned into a massive pension-corruption scandal.
The mood in DiNapoli’s camp, which had been gloomy most of the night, brightened minutes before midnight as Wilson’s steady lead eroded to close to even.
By 12:15 a.m., DiNapoli had pulled slightly ahead, and by 2:30 a.m., he held a substantial lead of 126,000 votes.
NY1 called the race for DiNapoli at around 1:30 a.m.
Eric Sunberg, DiNapoli’s spokesman, said early figures had been misleading because they were from Wilson strongholds.
The early returns were from upstate areas that didn’t feature DiNapoli advertisements, Sunberg explained. “Erie County, where we advertised, hasn’t come in yet. Only one-third of [heavily Democratic] Brooklyn is in.”
He said, however, the tension was palpable.
“I don’t have any nails left to bite off,” he joked.
Realizing they might end up in the night’s most suspenseful race, both candidates campaigned down to the wire.
DiNapoli fired off an e-mail to supporters on Monday, noting, “The race is very close,” and asking that they enlist at least 10 friends to go to the polls.
Wilson last night expressed confidence that enough Demo crats would bolt their party to make him the first Republican to capture the comp troller’s job since 1993.
“I feel fantastic,” Wilson said, while greeting rush- hour commuters at Grand Central Terminal with former Republi can Gov. George Pataki. “I couldn’t be happier.”
As if on cue, Clifford Schissler, a Metro-North conductor, walked over to proclaim, “I voted for you.”
Schissler, a registered Democrat, said he switched to Wilson “mostly because of the recommendations of all the New York papers that endorsed him.”
Over the last couple of weeks, Wilson said voters told him repeatedly he was the “first Republican they’ve ever voted for.”
Wilson’s advantages over DiNapoli included a partially self-funded campaign that allowed him to outspend the incumbent 2-to-1, and the refusal of Andrew Cuomo to take sides.
Privately, DiNapoli backers were furious that Cuomo wouldn’t support him. As attorney general, Cuomo investigated DiNapoli’s role in the state pension scandal, and cleared him.
Publicly, DiNapoli brushed off Cuomo’s snub.