Students happy about elections

Anti-Democratic fervor reached its peak Tuesday as incumbent senators, congressmen and governors were sent packing by angry constituents. And many University students said last night that they were happy with the results of the election. Engineering sophomore Brad Hausman, a New York native, said he was happy that Republican George Pataki beat three-term Democratic incumbent Mario Cuomo. "I would have voted for anyone over Mario Cuomo," he said. "The joke on Long Island was that Mickey Mouse could have beat Mario Cuomo." College sophomore Ethan Bloom, also a Long Island native, agreed. "I'm glad Cuomo is out because I don't think he was taking the state in the right direction," he said. "It is time to give someone else a chance." Not all students had such strong opinions on the subject, however. "I am very glad that Cuomo was finally voted out, but I don't like Pataki either," said College freshman Steven Friedman. "He was basically the lesser of two evils. Hopefully, Pataki will exceed our low expectations like Rudy Giuliani did." College senior and former College Democrats President Abby Russell said she was particularly distressed by the decision because she worked on Cuomo's campaign over the summer. "I think this is really bad for New York State and especially bad for New York City because I don't think [Pataki] will be as concerned with urban interests," she said. Russell added that this is just another example of the flow of American politics toward conservatism. College senior Emily Gold said the election result also distressed her greatly. "Cuomo's been my idol since I was 10, and I am traumatized," she said. The Texas state gubernatorial race, in which Republican George W. Bush beat out incumbent Democrat Ann Richards, provoked positive reactions in students. "I am very happy to see Bush take the governorship now," said Wharton sophomore Jeff Estes. "I think he deserved to win because he ran a good campaign." College senior Glenn Nix had stronger feelings on the subject. "Ann Richards had her four years of ineffective crassness and now she can take it somewhere else because she did absolutely nothing for the state," he said. The result of the California election, in which Dianne Feinstein was re-elected over Republican Michael Huffington, also made many students happy. College sophomore Molly Quinn said she is satisfied that Huffington did not win even though he outspent Feinstein two to one. "I am very happy [about the result] because it gives me a little hope that a candidate can not buy a seat," she said. Undergraduate Assembly member and College senior Dan Schorr said he was satisfied with the overall results of the national elections. "I am excited that the Republicans are controlling both houses of Congress," he said. "I hope they stick to their conservative economic agenda and don't proceed with a conservative social agenda."