Paladino: NY hasn't seen the last of me

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Voters hoped to launch a season of change for the empire state. Andrew Cuomo's victory speech included promises to fix Albany. And, despite his defeat, Buffalo developer Carl Paladino says New York hasn't heard the last of him.

Both candidates agreed there's a lot of cleaning up to do in Albany. So, where do they go from here?

Andrew Cuomo said in his greatest moment Tuesday night that if New York wants to keep young people here and bring jobs here, you have to get taxes under control, get rid of corruption and balance the budget. Now, all he has to do is deliver.

"They're disgusted, and they are right," said Cuomo.

Cuomo had picked up on voter anger and disgust and tapped into it, even as Carl Paladino was warming up his baseball bat to take to Albany.

Cuomo said, "And what they are saying today, is they want reform, and they want that government in Albany changed, and that's what they're going to get."

Cuomo now has to make believers out of those angry Paladino voters who have to see change to believe it.

George Balduf said, "To see some of the taxes comin' down, some of the spending cut down, see some changes."

In defeat, Paladino used the baseball bat analogy as a warning to Cuomo.

"But this isn't my bat after all. As our next governor, you can grab this handle and bring the people with you to Albany, or you can leave it untouched, and run the risk of having it wielded against you," said Paladino.

Paladino ended up working against himself in his own campaign, including that ugly confrontation with Fred Dicker of the New York Post.

UB political science professor Dr. Joshua Dyck said, "In a lot of ways, the campaign turned into a referendum on Carl Paladino. And so, in a lot of ways, Cuomo didn't have to say much to win. He didn't have to roll up his sleeves and get really dirty in this campaign, because frankly, Paladino did a lot of damage to himself."

But Paladino did win Erie County and said he's not quite ready to politically call it quits.

Paladino said, "Make no mistake, you have not heard the last of Carl Paladino."

Cuomo will take office as the state faces an estimated $315 million deficit. Last year, the deficit was $3.2 billion around this time.