New York State Senator Jose Peralta dies at age 47; woman says that he became ill

NEW YORK (AP) – Senator Jose Peralta, a New York legislator who was the first American-American to be elected to the Senate, has died. The Democrat was 47 years old and was nearing the end of nearly two decades after losing a primary this fall.

Peralta died Wednesday night at Elmhurst Hospital, said spokesman Chris Sosa. The cause of death has not been determined.

Peralta's wife, Evelyn, told reporters that she had felt pressure behind her ears and headaches for a week or more and had seen a doctor, according to local media reports. But his health condition did not sound the alarm until he had a fever on Tuesday, that he was disoriented and that he was having a hard time to breathe on Wednesday, when he was taken to the hospital, she said.

His wife said that his family thought his illness was an infection but was waiting for the results of the autopsy.

"We really do not know what happened," she said. "… he just took a turn for the worse."

Peralta has represented parts of Queens in the New York Senate for eight years and has already served in the state assembly for eight years. As a senator, he was a member of a dissident Democratic group that for a time formed a coalition with Republicans to control the chamber.

The news of his death sparked a wave of sympathy from officials and the future senator who ousted him during the September primary.

"When I met with him in 2003, our world was promising," senator Jessica Ramos wrote on Twitter. "Although, years later, we do not agree on the question, I know deep down that he loves his community, he was a real civil servant."

Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, called Peralta "a staunch defender of queens" who "fought tirelessly to make a difference for others".

State Assembly Speaker and Democratic colleague Carl Heastie recalled Peralta's commitment to public schools, gun security and immigrant rights.

"His voters have remained his priority," Heastie said in a statement, noting that Peralta was coordinating a flu vaccination clinic in his district and distributing Thanksgiving turkeys to the needy a few days earlier.

Peralta began his political career in the state in 2002, when he was elected to the assembly. He won a special election in the state Senate in 2010 and was re-elected in four general elections.

He later became a member of the now defunct Independent Democratic Conference, the dissident group that helped maintain Republican control of the chamber. Cuomo negotiated an agreement earlier this year for the reunification of Democratic Senators, but six of the eight former IDC members were quickly ousted during the party primaries.

The survivors of Peralta include his wife and two sons.