Daniel Squadron, 12,912 (54%)
Marty Connor, 10,980 (46%)
State Senate, District 25 (Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Williamsburg, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens)
One of the city’s most-bitter campaigns, which pitted well-financed and Mayor Bloomberg–endorsed newcomer Squadron against 30-year incumbent Connor, ended with a relatively easy victory for the first-time candidate.
For most of the year, Squadron, who lives off a sizeable trust fund established by his late father, the powerhouse lawyer Howard Squadron, had been hammering away at Connor, depicting him as a key cog in a moribund Albany machine. He also took swipes at Connor’s ethics, citing everything from legal campaign contributions from real-estate developers to Connor’s purchase of a Brooklyn Heights apartment for just $12,000 in 1994.
Connor fought back, claiming that Squadron, at age 28, was too inexperienced to know the ways of the world, let alone Albany.
Knowledge or not, Squadron showed intense energy on the campaign trail, issuing position papers as quickly as they could be printed — and all the while, Connor complained that he was busy in Albany doing the people’s business.
Speaking to 300 supporters at a Chinatown restaurant late Tuesday night, Squadron said “the first thing [that came to mind when he heard that he’d won] was what an amazing job these staffers did.”
Later, he paid tribute to Connor, saying, “It was a good race and we really should honor his 30 years of service.”
Reached by cellphone later, Connor said, “I’ve enjoyed represening the people for nearly 30 years, but I look forward to having a life where I get to take off weekends and take vacations.”
Squadron, who had been endorsed by the New York Times and The Brooklyn Paper, will now face Republican candidate John Chromczak, but as in most districts in New York City, the Democratic primary is considered tantamount to election.
