Eric Schneiderman grabbed the Democratic nomination for attorney general tonight, delivering a victory speech before hundreds of supporters chanting his name at the Grand Hyatt in midtown Manhattan.
In the speech, Schneiderman invoked the name of the current attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, and backed down not a whit from the progressive causes he championed throughout the primary campaign.
“We have an opportunity to set an example here in New York for what is best about America, for what is best about our vision for a system of justice. This is not the time for small ideas, for go along, get along passivity. This is not the idea for sitting on the sidelines. It is time to think big. Ladies and gentlemen, for all of the reformers, all of the innovators, for all those who feel voiceless and want to speak, and believe in progress, this is our moment. Thank you very much.”
Schneiderman ended the speech by bringing on stage Gustavo Rivera, who defeated Pedro Espada in a much watched state senate race in the Bronx.
He was joined on stage by his parents, his daughter, as well as Kelli Conlin, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, a sign that Schneiderman will make his Republican opponent Dan Donovan’s opposition to choice a central plank in the coming general election.
