2006 New York State Comptroller election
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The 2006 New York Comptroller election took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democrat Alan Hevesi won against Republican challenger Chris Callaghan. Hevesi was plagued by scandals during the campaign involving misuse of state funds, and resigned a few days before his second term would have begun.
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November 7, 2006
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 County results Hevesi: 40–50% 50–60% 70–80% 80–90% Callaghan: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Nominee
Alan Hevesi was the incumbent state comptroller. A Democrat and former professor, Hevesi was first elected in 2002. He previously served two terms as New York City Comptroller from 1994 to 2002, when he was term-limited out of the office. At the time of the election, he was being investigated for using a state employee as a chauffeur for his wife and failing to keep records or reimburse the state of New York by the Albany County District Attorney.[1]
Republican primary
Nominee
Christopher Callaghan, the Republican candidate, served as the Treasurer of Saratoga County, New York from 1997 to 2006. He was first appointed to the position by governor George Pataki in 1997, and elected to a full term later that year. He was re-elected twice.
Third parties
Declared
- Julia Willebrand (Green), educator and peace activist
- John Cain (Libertarian), insurance broker
- Willie Cotton (Socialist Workers), journalist
Disqualified
- Michael Cronmiller (Right to Life)
General election
Campaign
On October 12, 2006, Albany County District Attorney David Soares' office announced they were investigating Hevesi over claims that he hired a public employee to chauffeur his wife.[2] Eleven days later, the New York State Ethics Commission deemed Hevesi's actions in violation of state law.[3]
On October 26, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer withdrew his endorsement of Hevesi, saying that "[r]ecent developments in the Comptroller's race are deeply troubling. The outcome of the Ethics Commission investigation presents information that compromises Alan Hevesi's ability to fulfill his responsibilities."[4] On November 4, Hevesi was ordered to pay an additional $90,000.[5]
Endorsements
- Newspapers and media
Polling
| Source | Date | Alan Hevesi (D) | Chris Callaghan (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac | November 6, 2006 | 50% | 38% |
| Marist[16] | November 3, 2006 | 48% | 36% |
| Siena | November 3, 2006 | 39% | 35% |
| NY1/Newsday | November 2, 2006 | 48% | 38% |
| Marist | October 27, 2006 | 50% | 38% |
| Siena | October 26, 2006 | 39% | 39%† |
| Marist | October 20, 2006 | 62% | 22% |
| Quinnipiac | October 18, 2006 | 54% | 27% |
| Siena | October 16, 2006 | 52% | 25% |
| Zogby | October 10, 2006 | 42% | 23% |
| Quinnipiac | October 4, 2006 | 59% | 21% |
| Marist | September 28, 2006 | 57% | 27% |
| Marist | September 8, 2006 | 57% | 28% |
| Marist | August 2006 | 60% | 27% |
| Marist | July 2006 | 57% | 29% |
† Of voters polled in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alan Hevesi | 2,095,864 | |||
| Independence | Alan Hevesi | 127,293 | |||
| Working Families | Alan Hevesi | 126,421 | |||
| Total | Alan Hevesi (incumbent) | 2,349,578 | 56.82 | ||
| Republican | Christopher Callaghan | 1,405,843 | |||
| Conservative | Christopher Callaghan | 206,427 | |||
| Total | Christopher Callaghan | 1,612,270 | 38.99 | ||
| Green | Julia Willebrand | 117,908 | 2.85 | ||
| Libertarian | John Cain | 40,472 | 0.98 | ||
| Socialist Workers | Willie Cotton | 14,745 | 0.36 | ||
| Total votes | 4,134,973 | 100% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||