Ideally, Sampson needs a No. 2 who's an
upstater (remember that the conference lost two upstate members, Darrel Aubertine and Antoine Thompson), an Hispanic (former Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr., love him or
hate him, was the highest - ranking Latino leader in the Legislature — a point Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. likes to emphasize from time to time) and a woman.