"I'm coming home," the Queens Democrat told the Daily News in an exclusive interview on Sunday. ...
His decision creates an astonishing 31-31 deadlock in the Senate and further muddles the question of which party controls that body.
"I said I wouldn't return to the caucus without a leadership change among the Democrats, and that has happened," Monserrate told The News.
On Friday, Senate Democrats settled on Brooklyn's John Sampson to replace Malcolm Smith as leader of their conference, but to keep Smith as the majority leader.
It's very hard to say what might happen next, though Elizabeth Benjamin at the Daily News tries to game things out. Needless to say, if traitor ringleader Pedro Espada doesn't crack, he will almost assuredly get his ass primaried if there's any sense left in this universe. Monserrate's twice-in-a-week side-switching probably isn't healthful to his future, either. And if this whole coup falls apart, it'll also be nice to see Tom Golisano get humiliated.
For some related and entertaining history, check out this post at The Thicket which chronicles Willie Brown's attempts to block the GOP from controlling the California state Assembly in 1995 by seducing a series of dissident Republicans. Two of them were quickly recalled by voters - an option not available to Dems in New York - and the GOP eventually seized power. But a year later, Dems gained an outright majority in the chamber.
