February 7, 2007 | 5:51 a.m.

Joe Bruno's upbeat message this morning after losing a seat in Nassau:

His full statement is after the jump. -- Azi Paybarah STATEMENT BY SENATE MAJORITY LEADER JOSEPH L. BRUNO I want to congratulate Craig Johnson and Maureen O'Connell on a hard fought campaign. Maureen was an outstanding candidate who ran a tireless campaign, and she will continue to serve the people of Nassau County as County Clerk. There was tremendous interest in this race, as evidenced by the high turnout for a special election. The issues that were raised during the campaign: education, health care and especially the critical need for property tax relief, are issues that we will continue to fight for. We appreciate the support we received throughout the campaign from those interested in ensuring accountability and balance in State government. We still have the Majority in the Senate and our conference will go forward, strong, united and committed to ensuring accountability, providing checks and balances and delivering results for our constituents. Our role is as vital today as it was in November when voters returned us to the Majority. The campaign is over and we have 21 months until election day 2008. It's time to govern and to work together to address the many pressing issues that face the people of this state.