Clinton, Spitzer Win Easily in New York

Senator Hillary Clinton, D-NY, waves to onlookers after voting in Chappaqua, NY, with her husband former President Clinton, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006. (AP Photo/Stuart Ramson) (Stuart Ramson - AP)

NEW YORK -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton romped to a second term Tuesday, a race seen by many as a prelude to a 2008 presidential run, while Eliot Spitzer became the state's first Democratic governor in 12 years.

With the national electoral environment favoring Democrats and the state GOP weakened and in disarray, Clinton and Spitzer were set to lead a party landslide that could see Democrats winning every statewide office for the first time since 1942. Republicans' best chance for a statewide win was the comptroller's race, where the incumbent, Democrat Alan Hevesi, is under investigation for using state employees to chauffeur his wife.

Republicans were also scrambling to hold onto as many as five House seats where Democrats either led in the polls or were running strongly against GOP incumbents.

Marist Poll Director Lee Miringoff said the predicted Democratic wave in New York was based on a confluence of factors.

"You start with Democrats' advantage in voter registration," Miringoff said. "Clinton and Spitzer are well-known and well-liked candidates, and voters this year are looking to send a message to George Bush about Iraq. So there is no cover anywhere in New York for Republicans."

Clinton, who was first elected in 2000, never appeared to be seriously threatened by her GOP challenger, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer. The big win could further boost Clinton's status as the front-runner for her party's 2008 presidential nomination.

Clinton raised almost $40 million for the race and had about $14 million left over at the end _ all of which could be put toward a presidential campaign if she decides to run. She has steadfastly deflected questions about presidential ambitions, insisting she was solely focused on re-election.

In the Senate, Clinton has been praised as a hardworking and effective advocate for the state who's been willing to forge relationships across party lines. She's irked many anti-war activists for refusing to recant her 2002 vote authorizing military intervention in Iraq, but in recent months has harshly criticized the Bush administration's war strategy and called for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign.

Spitzer, a popular state attorney general nicknamed "the Sheriff of Wall Street" for his high-profile investigations of corporate corruption, crushed his GOP opponent, lobbyist and former assemblyman John Faso. Spitzer, with his campaign slogan "Day One Everything Changes," has vowed to bring his zeal for reform to the famously dysfunctional state government.

Spitzer, who succeeds Republican Gov. George Pataki, has pledged to reduce property taxes in the state, which are among the highest in the nation, and bring the state's spiraling Medicaid costs under control. He must also resolve a lawsuit requiring the state to spend $4 billion to $5 billion more on New York City schools.