ALBANY - Mayor de Blasio's hopes for a Democratic takeover of the state Senate rest on a handful of hotly contested races far beyond the five boroughs.
The weekend before the election, with nearly $50 million spent by candidates and parties, the upshot of the fiercely fought battle remains unpredictable.
'I think it is a tossup,' said Gerald Benjamin, a SUNY New Paltz political scientist.
De Blasio has staked political capital on the fight - arguing that a Democratic Senate would advance the progressive agenda on the DREAM Act, a minimum wage increase and women's equality.
Republicans, who are going all-out to keep control of the Senate, are feverishly trying to unseat three first-term incumbent Democrats in districts stretching from the Hudson Valley to Rochester.
Those races as well as one for an open seat in the mid-Hudson Valley and a four-way contest near Buffalo are likely to decide which party has a majority in the 63-seat Senate in January, officials on both sides of the aisle said.
'Upstate, in at least four districts, Republicans have a shot at winning,' said Hofstra Univeristy political scientist Lawrence Levy. 'You add them all up and it gets them pretty close to outright control.'
Republicans hold only 29 of the Senate's 63 seats but have maintained a shaky leadership role in the chamber thanks to coalitions with Brooklyn Democratic Sen. Simcha Felder and a group of five breakaway Democrats led by Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein.
Klein's group, under pressure from de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo, has pledged to end the coalition with the GOP, forcing Republicans to capture two or more additional seats and maintain their partnership with Felder to take command.
Republicans have targeted Democratic senators Terry Gipson of Dutchess County; Cecilia Tkaczyk of Schenectady County and Ted O'Brien of Rochester. All three were aided by the surge in Democratic turnout during the 2012 presidential election - and could now be vulnerable.
Another closely watched race is the one to replace Putnam County Republican Greg Ball, who decided not to seek reelection. Democrat Justin Wagner is running against Yorktown Councilman Terrence Murphy.
Both parties are also watching a four-way contest in Buffalo involving Republican Sen. Mark Grisanti, who lost a Republican primary to Kevin Stocker but has remained on the ballot as the Independence Party candidate. Democrat Marc Panepinto and Conservative Timothy Gallagher are also on the ballot.
De Blasio has been a warrior for the Dems -dispatching staffers to help the party and steering tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions to Democratic candidates.
Republicans, meanwhile, have sought to use de Blasio's involvement as a weapon against the Democrats, warning suburban and upstate voters to be wary of a state government dominated by city liberals.
'You would have Mayor de Blasio calling all the shots. He would be de facto governor,'said Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif.
Despite recent polls showing Republicans ahead in key districts, Democrats remain optimistic - though they concede the results might not be clear on Election Night.
'There are going to be some close races out there and every two years we seem to be in courthouses looking at absentee ballots,' said Queens Sen. Michael Gianaris, head of the Democrats' campaign committee. 'I would be surprised if that didn't happen this time.'
ALBANY - Even though he's not running for any office, it will be a suspenseful Election Night for Mayor de Blasio.
He has staked political capital on the fiercely fought battle for control of the state Senate.
The weekend before the election, with nearly $50 million spent by candidates and parties, the outcome remains unpredictable - resting on a handful of hotly contested races far beyond the five boroughs.
'I think it is a tossup,' said Gerald Benjamin, a SUNY New Paltz political scientist.
The mayor has argued that a Democratic takeover of the Senate would advance the progressive agenda on the DREAM Act, a minimum wage increase and women's equality.
Republicans, who are going all-out to keep control of the Senate, are feverishly trying to unseat three first-term incumbent Democrats in districts stretching from the Hudson Valley to Rochester.
Those races as well as one for an open seat in the mid-Hudson Valley and a four-way contest near Buffalo are likely to decide which party has a majority in the 63-seat Senate in January, officials on both sides of the aisle said.
'Upstate, in at least four districts, Republicans have a shot at winning,' said Hofstra University political scientist Lawrence Levy. 'You add them all up and it gets them pretty close to outright control.'
Republicans hold only 29 of the Senate's 63 seats but have maintained a shaky leadership role in the chamber thanks to coalitions with Brooklyn Democratic Sen. Simcha Felder and a group of five breakaway Democrats led by Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein.
Klein's group, under pressure from de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo, has pledged to end the coalition with the GOP, forcing Republicans to capture two or more additional seats and maintain their partnership with Felder to take command.
Republicans have targeted Democratic Sens. Terry Gipson of Dutchess County; Cecilia Tkaczyk of Schenectady County and Ted O'Brien of Rochester. All three were aided by the surge in Democratic turnout during the 2012 presidential election - and could now be vulnerable.
Another closely watched race is the one to replace Putnam County Republican Greg Ball, who decided not to seek reelection. Democrat Justin Wagner is running against Yorktown Councilman Terrence Murphy.
Both parties are also watching a four-way contest in Buffalo involving Republican Sen. Mark Grisanti, who lost a Republican primary to Kevin Stocker but has remained on the ballot as the Independence Party candidate. Democrat Marc Panepinto and Conservative Timothy Gallagher are also on the ballot.
De Blasio has been a warrior for the Dems - dispatching staffers to help the party and steering tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions to Democratic candidates.
Republicans, meanwhile, have sought to use de Blasio's involvement as a weapon against the Democrats, warning suburban and upstate voters to be wary of a state government dominated by city liberals.
'You would have Mayor de Blasio calling all the shots. He would be de facto governor,'said Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif.
Despite recent polls showing Republicans ahead in key districts, Democrats remain optimistic - though they concede the results might not be clear on Election Night.
'There are going to be some close races out there and every two years we seem to be in courthouses looking at absentee ballots,' said Queens Sen. Michael Gianaris, head of the Democrats' campaign committee. 'I would be surprised if that didn't happen this time.'
Posted by Unknown on Sunday, November 2, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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