In a victory speech, Steve Bellone is thanking Democratic chairman Richard Schaffer, saying the campaign he crafted was a "thing of beauty.'

"The voters of Suffolk county have given us a huge victory," he said.

He thanks the Democratic committee, volunteers, and "most important I want to thank the voters of Suffolk County tonight for giving us this mandate....We will make government more efficient, we will make it work so we can protect taxpayers in this county."

"We will confront the fiscal challenge that we face by growing this economy...We will make sure when we create that growth and opportunity....it will be accessible."

He touts Bill Lindsay to return as presiding officer.