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The1970 New York state election was held on November 3, 1970, to elect thegovernor, thelieutenant governor, thestate comptroller, theattorney general and aU.S. Senator, as well as all members of theNew York State Assembly and theNew York State Senate.
On June 6, 1968, U.S. SenatorRobert F. Kennedy wasassassinated. On September 10, Governor Rockefeller appointed CongressmanCharles E. Goodell to serve for the remainder of Kennedy's term.
TheDemocratic State Committee met on April 1 and 2 atGrossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel inLiberty, New York, and designated Arthur J. Goldberg for governor; Basil Paterson for lieutenant governor; the incumbent Arthur Levitt for comptroller; Adam Walinsky for attorney general; and Ted Sorensen for the U.S. Senate.[1] Theprimary election was held on June 23. Paterson received the most votes.
| Office | Party designees | Challengers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Arthur J. Goldberg | 496,648 | Howard J. Samuels | 455,482 | ||||
| Lieutenant Governor | Basil A. Paterson | 594,751 | Jerome A. Ambro, Jr. | 240,235 | ||||
| Comptroller | Arthur Levitt | (unopposed) | ||||||
| Attorney General | Adam Walinsky | 504,942 | Robert R. Meehan[2] | 242,052 | ||||
| U.S. Senator | Ted Sorensen | 154,434 | Richard L. Ottinger | 366,789 | Paul O'Dwyer | 302,438 | Max McCarthy | 102,224 |
TheLiberal State Committee met on April 4, and designated Party Chairman Rev.Donald S. Harrington for Governor; and Deputy Mayor of New York Timothy W. Costello for the U.S. Senate. They also endorsed the Democratic designees Paterson and Levitt, and the Republican designee Lefkowitz.[3] Harrington and Costello withdrew on May 7, and on May 11 the State Committee endorsed Democrat Arthur J. Goldberg for Governor; and the incumbent Republican U.S. senator Charles E. Goodell.[4]
TheRepublican State Committee met on April 7 atRochester, New York, and designated the incumbents Rockefeller, Wilson, Lefkowitz and Goodell (the first three for re-election); and completed the ticket with Edward Regan for Comptroller.[5]
TheConservative State Committee met on April 7, and designated again Prof.Paul L. Adams for governor, andJames L. Buckley for the U.S. Senate. Adams had polled more than half a million votes in 1966, and Buckley more than a million in 1968. They also designated Edward F. Leonard for lieutenant governor; Anthony R. Spinelli for Comptroller; and Leo Kesselring, lawyer, ofRochester, for attorney general.[6]
The Republican, Liberal and Conservative tickets designated by the state committees were not challenged in the primaries.
Eight parties filed petitions to nominate candidates.[7]
TheSocialist Workers Party nominated Clifton DeBerry for Governor; Jonathan Rothschild, a "30 years oldManhattan taxi driver," for lieutenant governor; Ms. Ruthann Miller (born c. 1940), for Comptroller; Miguel Padilla, Jr., 30, for Attorney General; and Ms. Kipp Dawson (born 1941) for the U.S. Senate.[8]
TheCommunist Party nominated Clifton DeBerry for Governor; Mrs. Grace Mora Newman (born c. 1927), ofThe Bronx, for lieutenant governor; andArnold Johnson for the U.S. Senate.
The "Civil Service Independents Party" nominated Gov. Rockefeller and Lt. Gov. Wilson for re-election.
The "Independent Alliance Party" nominated James L. Buckley for the U.S. Senate.
The "Courage Party," the New York state branch of theAmerican Party, was ruled off the ballot on September 11 by Secretary of StateJohn P. Lomenzo.[9]
The "Conservation Party" nominated Richard L Ottinger for the U.S. Senate, but was ruled off the ballot by theAppellate Division on October 1, reversing an earlierNew York Supreme Court decision. At the same time, the "Independent Alliance" which nominated James L. Buckley, was upheld.[10] The appellate decision was upheld by theNew York Court of Appeals on October 7.[11]
At the height of the chaotic political situation during theVietnam War, a Republican governor and lieutenant governor, a Democratic/Liberal comptroller, a Republican/Liberal attorney general and a Conservative U.S. Senator were elected.
The incumbents Rockefeller, Wilson, Levitt and Lefkowitz were re-elected. The incumbent Goodell was defeated.
| Office | Republican ticket | Democratic ticket | Conservative ticket | Liberal ticket | Communist ticket | Socialist Workers ticket | Socialist Labor ticket | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Nelson A. Rockefeller | 3,151,432 | Arthur J. Goldberg | 2,158,355 | Paul L. Adams | 422,514 | Arthur J. Goldberg | 263,071 | Rasheed Storey | 7,760 | Clifton DeBerry | 5,766 | Stephen Emery[12] | 3,963 |
| Lieutenant Governor | Malcolm Wilson | Basil A. Paterson | Edward F. Leonard | Basil A. Paterson | Grace Mora Newman | Jonathan Rothschild | Arnold Babel | |||||||
| Comptroller | Edward V. Regan | 1,853,142 | Arthur Levitt | 2,881,642 | Anthony R. Spinelli | 436,584 | Arthur Levitt | 303,941 | (none) | Ruthann Miller | 14,071 | Walter Steinhilber[13] | 6,908 | |
| Attorney General | Louis J. Lefkowitz | 2,891,969 | Adam Walinsky | 1,886,631 | Leo Kesselring | 409,169 | Louis J. Lefkowitz | 321,865 | (none) | Miguel Padilla, Jr. | 14,306 | (none) | ||
| U.S. Senator | Charles E. Goodell | 1,178,679 | Richard L. Ottinger | 2,171,232 | James L. Buckley | 2,288,190 | Charles E. Goodell | 225,793 | Arnold Johnson[14] | 4,097 | Kipp M. Dawson | 3,549 | John Emanuel[15] | 3,204 |
Obs.:
New York Red Book 1971
