Nation IN BRIEF : NEW YORK : City Comptroller Loses to Underdog

Liz Holtzman, who as a congresswoman was a voice of integrity during the Watergate scandal, lost renomination to her city comptroller’s job to a candidate who challenged her honesty over a $450,000 campaign loan. State Assemblyman Alan Hevesi swept past Holtzman in a runoff election just four years after she had trounced him in a race for the same position. With 98% of the vote in, Hevesi had 169,333 votes, or 67%, to Holtzman’s 82,626 votes, or 33%. Three months ago, half of the voters polled didn’t recognize Hevesi’s name. Holtzman denied any wrongdoing, but a city report questioned her judgment and truthfulness in a possible conflict of interest over the loan.