Hillary victory sets up 2008 presidency bid

Eliot Spitzer, the state attorney general who crusaded against Wall Street corruption, was elected governor of New York in a historic Democratic sweep of statewide offices, which included a huge victory by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton that positions her for a possible presidential bid in 2008.

Rounding out the party’s triumph were Andrew M Cuomo, who mounted a political comeback to succeed Spitzer and State Comptroller Alan G Hevesi, who won re-election. The Democratic landslide turned Republicans out of the governor’s office after 12 years under George E Pataki. It also left Republicans in control of only the State Senate, and the Spitzer camp confident that it had a mandate for reform.

It was the first time since 1949 that one party in New York had taken control of major elected statewide offices and both Senate seats; Republicans were dominant in that previous instance.

–PATRICK HEALY