Staff Reports
ALBANY — A Democratic party official says a dissident Democratic senator is flipping support back to his party after helping lead a Republican-dominated coup that has gridlocked New York’s Senate for more than a month.
Barring other defections, Bronx Sen. Pedro Espada’s return would give Democrats a 32-30 majority for the first time since the June 8 coup.
The Democrat official spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to comment until the deal is made public.
Espada’s move comes after Democratic Gov. David Paterson’s shocking decision to appoint a lieutenant governor to preside over the Senate, giving his party the upper hand in a chamber that’s been divided 31-31.
The New York Post first reported Espada’s decision Thursday.
