She would have won it anyway. No Republicans in NY State win state-wide elections. Pataki was the last (depending if you consider him a Republican). The stagnant pond that is NY State politics is evaporating, leaving an ever-increasing concentration of leftist residue. The State economy exists on Government, and Wall Street.
Lazio was ahead in several polls up to the first debate, and performed very well in the debate until he made the big mistake. For NY, it really said something how well he was polling.