Carl Paladino did, in fact, pull it off. The controversial candidate has won the Republican nomination for New York governor against former Representative Rick Lazio. The AP called the race with 42 percent of precincts reporting, as Paladino led Lazio by a 67 percent to 33 percent margin. The tea-party-backed candidate had been gaining steam in the polls, and will now square off with Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in the general election, where Cuomo — of course — will be heavily favored. “If there’s anything we learned, it’s that New Yorkers are mad as hell. And we’re not gonna take it anymore,” Paladino said after the victory. “The people have spoken and I’m here to thank you for choosing me as the Republican candidate for the governor of New York.”
