Convicted abuser Monserrate won’t regain Senate seat

Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled last month from the New York State Senate after being convicted of a misdemeanor assault against his girlfriend, lost his bid to regain his seat last night. José R. Peralta won the special election in a landslide, with 66 percent of the vote compared to Monserrate’s 27 percent.

The political issue that received the most attention in this special election was the divisive topic of same-sex marriage, which Peralta supports and Monserrate opposes. Monserrate tried to create a David-and-Goliath narrative for his campaign, painting himself as the political outsider oppressed by entrenched power in Albany. As opposed to a former elected official who lost his seat because he was convicted of brutally assaulting his girlfriend.

Monserrate’s campaign seemed like a long shot. But special elections, with their typical low voter turn outs, can lead to surprising results (Scott Brown in Massachusetts anyone?). Turn out was apparently high for a special election, and thankfully voters kept Monserrate out of office.

Boston, MA

Jos Truitt is Executive Director of Development at Feministing. She joined the team in July 2009, became an Editor in August 2011, and Executive Director in September 2013. She writes about a range of topics including transgender issues, abortion access, and media representation. Jos first got involved with organizing when she led a walk out against the Iraq war at her high school, the Boston Arts Academy. She was introduced to the reproductive justice movement while at Hampshire College, where she organized the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program’s annual reproductive justice conference. She has worked on the National Abortion Federation’s hotline, was a Field Organizer at Choice USA, and has volunteered as a Pro-Choice Clinic Escort. Jos has written for publications including The Guardian, Bilerico, RH Reality Check, Metro Weekly, and the Columbia Journalism Review. She has spoken and trained at numerous national conferences and college campuses about trans issues, reproductive justice, blogging, feminism, and grassroots organizing. Jos completed her MFA in Printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute in Spring 2013. In her "spare time" she likes to bake and work on projects about mermaids.

Jos Truitt is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Development.

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