Skelos Defeats Sava By a Landslide

Incumbent New York State Sen. Dean Skelos, R-Rockville Centre, defeated George Sava, a Democrat from Woodmere, in the race for the 9th Senate District seat by a landslide last night, garnering  56,329 votes compared to Sava's 29,420, according to unofficial results from the county Board of Elections. The Republican incumbent received 65 percent of the vote, with 99.6 percent of precincts being counted.

This will be Skelos' 14th term in the state Senate.

"I'm humbled by the strong showing of support that I recieved from the constituents in the 9th Senatorial District in yesterday's election." said Senator Dean G. Skelos. "I look forward to continuing the fight to address the issues that matter most; cutting and controlling state spending, creating jobs, and working to undo the many oppressive taxes that were enacted under one party rule over the past two years."

Sava, his challenger, said he knew it would be an uphill battle, but he wanted to get "the message" out.

"I knew it was going to be tough, I was taking on Dean Skelos," Sava said. "But my campaign was about getting the message out and I did. People didn't know about these multiple taxing entities and we brought it to life. It was a great experience. Tiring, but incredible."

He noted that in the future, he may or may not throw his hat back in the political ring, as it will depend on the tax situation. "If it improves, and life improves, then I'll just focus on my family and practice," he said. "I got involved because I saw problems. Maybe in the future, I'll jump in again."

Skelos, 62, has served 13 terms on the state Senate and is a long-time Rockville Centre resident. He is married with one son, and graduated from Fordham University School of Law. He served in the New York State Assembly from 1982-1984, and has been on the state Senate since 1984.