Rep. Vito Fossella’s downfall cost Republicans their last House seat in the five boroughs.

City Councilman Michael McMahon trounced Republican Robert Straniere Tuesday to take the seat that Fossella held for a decade – and claim the city’s congressional delegation entirely for the Democrats.

McMahon received 105,128 votes, compared with Straniere’s 57,530, according to the city Board of Elections.

“I do think that the people were yearning to have someone of integrity and honor representing them, and I think that really helped us,” McMahon said Tuesday night.

Fossella, a popular Staten Island Republican, seemed destined for a bright career until he was busted for drunken driving in Virginia in May.

Although he might have survived the arrest, Fossella could not outlast what it exposed: The married dad was hiding a secret family in Virginia.

Straniere, a former assemblyman, blamed his loss on the economic crisis and a poor showing by Republican John McCain.

“I don’t think Vito Fossella had anything to do with this loss whatsoever,” he said.

McMahon’s victory ended nearly 30 years of GOP dominance in the conservative-leaning 13th District, which includes Staten Island and a slice of Brooklyn. He said the economy and mass transit will be his top priorities in Congress.

Fossella’s seat was among three that Democrats gained in New York yesterday.

Democrat Dan Maffei won the battle to replace retiring Republican Rep. Jim Walsh in a Syracuse-area district and Democrat Eric Massa defeated Southern Tier Republican Rep. Randy Kuhl Jr.

In another race, Rep. Michael Arcuri, a Utica Democrat, held a slim lead of fewer than 2,000 votes over Republican Richard Hanna with 98% of the vote reporting early this morning.

Fossella is expected to be sentenced next month and could face five days in jail. He was forced to admit after the arrest that he had fathered a daughter with retired U.S. Air Force Col. Laura Fay.

The race to replace him featured some other bizarre twists, including the sudden death of the GOP’s first candidate, Frank Powers, from a heart attack in June.

Straniere’s nomination was also dismissed by many top Staten Island Republicans, including former Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari, who endorsed Conservative Tim Cochrane.

Voters seemed ready to move beyond the Fossella controversy.

“I’m a Republican, but I don’t like a double standard,” said Yuri, 51, a contractor who typically votes Republican but voted for McMahon.

“They talk about family values, but they’re divorcing each other,” said Yuri, who declined to give a last name. “Don’t be a priest if you don’t believe in God, and don’t be a politician if you cannot set a good example.”

Source: NY Daily News