Onorato Out in 2010

The Daily News reports that State Senator George Onorato, a Queens Democrat, has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2010. Onorato, who voted against the marriage equality bill in December, is the oldest Democratic member of the Senate at the age of 82. Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, 39, a supporter of marriage equality, is expected to run to succeed him. This morning, Jeremiah Frei-Pearson, a Queens Democratic leader, issued an e-mail to supporters, published in the New York Observer, announcing that he would not be a candidate for Onorato's seat and endorsing Gianaris. Frei-Pearson singled out Gianaris's support for marriage equality in his endorsement: "[Assemblymember Gianaris] has assured me that, as our Senator, he will continue to be a strong supporter of government reform and marriage equality."