More now on Rajani vs. Maloney. The political newcomer, who rents an apartment in the East Village, showed a lot of determination (some said chutzpah) in taking on an 18-year incumbent. A short time after learning of her defeat by Congresswoman Maloney, Reshma Saujani told the “East Village Local” she is undeterred:
“I’m definitely running again. What we built was a movement… There’s no way I’m going to be one of those folks who runs, loses, and you never see them again. We started something, and we’re going to finish it.”
Even some downtown political insiders, strong Maloney supporters, agreed that Saujani has a bright political future. Early on, the mainstream media made her one of the darlings of the 2010 political season. But an avalanche of news coverage and a well financed campaign did not matter much in the end.
Maloney won 81% of the vote to Saujani’s 19% (26,303 votes to 6,231 votes). Had Maloney’s performance been less robust, she would have been seen as a vulnerable candidate two years from now. From Saujani’s perspective, however, the margin might not matter much. She established herself as a viable political candidate and set herself up well for another run.
For Maloney, who faced her first serious Democratic challenger in two decades, the road ahead will be significantly easier. In an overwhelmingly Democratic district, Republican nominee Ryan Brumberg is, at best, a long shot.
