On March 16, New York held a special election to fill the vacant State Senate seat, 13th district. The vote: Jose Peralta, Democrat, 65%; Hiram Monserrate, independent, 27%; Robert Beltrami, Republican, 7%.

In November 2008, only one candidate had been on the ballot, Hiram Monserrate. Earlier this year, the New York State Senate expelled Monserrate, which is the reason the special election was required. Monserrate ran for his old seat as an independent, using the ballot label, “Yes We Can.”