Sep 8, 2008 7:19 pm US/Eastern
Primaries Set Course For NY In Washington, Albany
ALBANY (AP) ―
New York Democrats are seeking to build on power in Congress in Tuesday's primaries while Republicans are trying to strengthen their hold on the state Senate -- the last GOP bastion in Albany.
The races for Congress feature a five-way contest for the 21st district around Albany, a former MTV "Real World" cast member seeking a seat in Brooklyn against a 13-term incumbent, and a western New York race that pits an Iraq war veteran against a millionaire and a lawyer.
And then there's a longshot challenge that, if successful, could trump the others and shake up the state Legislature. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is facing two Democratic challengers for the party's nomination in the 64th Assembly District in lower Manhattan. Silver has held the seat since 1976 and been speaker since 1994.
Silver also faces the clout of The New York Times, the New York Post and the Daily News, which endorsed one of his opponents, community activist Paul Newell. Lawyer Luke Henry is Silver's other challenger.
Meanwhile, the Senate's Republican majority, down to a 31-29 seat margin after decades of dominance, faces two challenges to stalwarts and uncertainty over two other upstate seats recently vacated by GOP incumbents.
Republican Sen. Dale Volker of Erie County, in office since 1974, is opposed by David Di Pietro, an East Aurora businessman. Di Pietro says Volker's four decades representing the 59th Senate District is too long.
In the 62nd Senate District, Sen. George Maziarz faces sheriff's Deputy Briand Grear in a Republican challenge to the Niagara County seat Maziarz has held since 1995.
Six Democrats in the Senate also face primaries.
"The outcome of many of these primaries are going to have an important impact on what happens in the general election," said Steven Greenberg of the Siena College poll.
"Obviously, Speaker Silver is the most high-profile primary candidate, but I would be very surprised if he winds up having a particularly close race," Greenberg said Monday. "I think that ultimately the speaker's record in his district will trump the editorials against him."
The most crowded congressional primary is in the safely Democratic 21st congressional district, in the Albany area.
Former state assemblyman Paul Tonko, former Hillary Rodham Clinton staffer Tracey Brooks, Phil Steck, Darius Shahinfar, and Joseph Sullivan are all fighting for the line.
A crowded field of five candidates in what should be a low-turnout primary can be a recipe for an upset, but Brooks and Tonko appear to be the strongest contenders.
"There's a lot of change being talked up, but as we get closer to the wire, and with the economy being sluggish, I think people are looking for the voice of experience, and I think that's going to be the decisive factor here," said Tonko, a longtime state legislator and former state energy official.
The day before the election, the Brooks campaign asked a local judge to impound voting machines and ballots after the polls close, in case the election results are close.
A court conference is scheduled for Tuesday morning on the request, said Brooks campaign spokesman Kyle Kotary.
In the 13th district on Staten Island, the retirement of Rep. Vito Fossella after revelations he had a daughter from an extramarital affair has upended local politics and led to primaries for Democrats and Republicans.
Former state Assemblyman Bob Straniere is competing with Dr. Jamshad Wyne for the Republicans, and on the Democratic side city councilman Michael McMahon is matched up against Steve Harrison.
In Brooklyn, 13-term incumbent Edolphus Towns is challenged by Kevin Powell, a writer and activist best known for being a cast member on the inaugural season of MTV's "Real World" television show.
At the other end of the state, the district represented by retiring Republican Tom Reynolds is seeing another year of expensive attack ads. On the Democratic side, Iraq war vet Jon Powers is trying to beat millionaire Jack Davis and lawyer Alice Kryzan.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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