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1994 New York Attorney General election

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1994 New York Attorney General Election

← 1990 November 8, 1994 1998 →
 
Nominee Dennis Vacco Karen Burstein
Party Republican Democratic
Alliance Liberal
Popular vote 2,294,528 2,206,188
Percentage 49.28% 47.38%

County results
Vacco:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Burstein:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

New York Attorney General before election

G. Oliver Koppell
Democratic

Elected New York Attorney General

Dennis Vacco
Republican

The 1994 New York Attorney General election took place on November 8, 1994. Republican nominee Dennis Vacco narrowly defeated Democratic nominee Karen Burstein. As of 2023, this is the last time a Republican was elected Attorney General of New York.

Background

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Attorney General Robert Abrams ran for United States Senate in 1992 but narrowly lost to incumbent Republican Al D'Amato. Abrams announced his resignation from the office of attorney general on September 8, 1993, to take effect on December 31.

The New York State Legislature appointed G. Oliver Koppel, an Assemblyman from the Bronx, to fill the office of Attorney General until a successor was elected at the regularly scheduled 1994 election.[1]

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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General election

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Candidates

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  • Karen Burstein, New York Family Court judge and former State Senator from Mineola (Democratic and Liberal)
  • Daniel Conti (Libertarian)
  • James Hartman (Independence)
  • Nancy Rosenstock (Socialist Workers)
  • Alfred Skidmore (Right to Life)
  • Dennis Vacco, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York (Republican and Conservative)

Campaign

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In the final month of the campaign, Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari publicly remarked that Burstein would be unqualified for office because she was a lesbian.

Results

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General Election Results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dennis Vacco 1,988,567 42.71%
Conservative Dennis Vacco 305,961 6.57%
Total Dennis Vacco 2,294,528 49.28%
Democratic Karen Burstein 2,097,083 45.04%
Liberal Karen Burstein 109,105 2.34%
Total Karen Burstein 2,206,188 47.38%
Right to Life Alfred Skidmore 85,649 1.84%
Independence James Hartman 37,500 0.81%
Libertarian Daniel Conti 19,202 0.41%
Socialist Workers Nancy Rosenstock 13,416 0.29%
Majority 88,340 1.9%
Turnout 4,656,483
Republican gain from Democratic

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Fisher, Ian (September 14, 1994). "THE 1994 CAMPAIGN: ATTORNEY GENERAL; Burstein Wins Close Victory Against Koppell in Primary". The New York Times. pp. B6. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  2. ^ "1994 Election Results | New York State Board of Elections". www.elections.ny.gov. Retrieved August 4, 2021.

See also

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Preceded by
1990
New York Attorney General election
1994
Succeeded by
1998