Advocates said that some Republicans who were open to the idea voted no because they were fearful of a conservative black lash. Others referenced the bad economy as a reason for keeping many Republicans who may have been sympathetic to the cause from voting for gay marriage, stating their primary focus to be on the fiscal crisis, and not gay marriage.
All 30 Republicans and 8 Democrats voted against the bill. Previously, the bill had been passed 3 times in the Assembly, but rejected in the Senate. Of those who voted no, only Sen. Ruben Diaz stood up during the debate to explain his vote publicly. On the Senate floor he said, "If you put this issue before the voters, the voters will reject it. Let the people decide."
Governor Paterson, who had pushed for the vote in the Senate even though the bill’s fate was uncertain, made a rare trip to the Senate floor to support the bill. He even pledged to sign the bill if it was passed. Other Senators stood before the floor and told their stories, including Sen. Ruth Hassel Thompson, who revealed for the first time that she had a gay brother that had been shunned by her family and forced to live overseas, while her minister sister was opposed to gay marriage. Others took the floor to tell stories of friends and relatives who were gay and had been unable to marry.
Gay marriage opponents were shocked and pleased by not only the win for upholding the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman but for winning with a larger-than-expected margin. The bill needed 32 votes to pass, but instead failed by 8 votes. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms stated, “Today was a good day for marriage in
After the vote, 
Following the vote, protests were held across the state, including one in New York City that night, and one in Albany at the capital the following Thursday. Around 150 people showed up to protest the Senate vote, holding signs and chanting late into the night.