By Heather Grossmann and Jordan Heller
DNAinfo Staff
MANHATTAN — Carl Paladino, who once compared Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to "an Antichrist" and "Hitler," has won the Republican primary for governor over party-favorite Rick Lazio in a shocking upset.
The tea partier, who has vowed to "take a baseball bat" with him to Albany and employs the campaign slogan "Mad as Hell," was declared the victor over former Long Island Congressman Lazio with 66 percent of the vote as of about 11 p.m Tuesday night.
"If we've learned anything tonight, it's that New Yorkers are mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore," Paladino said during his victory speech in Buffalo.
"Sadly, all Andrew offers us is status Cuomo," he said of his Democratic opponent in November's general election.
He commended Lazio for running a clean campaign and asked him to join him as he goes to "the big dance."
Throughout his speech, Paladino decried the "cesspool" that is Albany and vowed to slash income and property taxes.
He thanked the Tea Party movement for their support, and then said he had a message for Cuomo:
"Andrew, I challenge you to a series of debates. We have so many questions to ask you, Andrew. Let's stand toe-to-toe in an exchange of ideas and let the people decide, I look forward to your response, Andrew."
Lazio addressed his supporters shortly after Paladino's victory speech.
Before thanking his family and staff, the also-ran congratulated Paladino and tacitly offered his support.
"Many of the issues that Carl Paladino was running on, I embrace," said Lazio, citing wasteful spending and cleaning up Albany.
Té Revesz, co-chair of the New York chapter of Citizen Action, said when she heard the news about Paladino at AG-hopeful Eric Schneiderman's viewing party, she was "blown away."
She accused the Buffalo businessman of being a racist and totally out of the mainstream, concluding, "It's probably very good for Andrew Cuomo."
Scott Caplan, 53, who works for a state agency and lives near Union Square, said he was shocked by the Paladino win.
"Paladino, I think, is dangerous. But hopefully the Democrats will be able to overshadow him because that guy is crazy," he said.
