On a scale of 1 - 10 we give the Democrats a 7 and the Republicans a 3.
Countywide Races
Out of four contested Countywide races, the Democrats were 4-4. Those are the judicial races, County Court and Supreme Court.
Jacon beat DeAngelis by over 5,000 votes to win the County Court race.
Spain, Egan and Lynch easily won the Supreme Court races. However, it must be remembered that Albany County and as far south as Ulster County voted in that election. In that sense, it's not a true Countywide race.
The Republicans won two uncontested races, Clerk and County Executive. We give uncontested races little weight. Really, isn't it just political masturbation? If Jimino has any ambitions, we imagine she wanted an opponent. She would have beaten that opponent soundly and that would help her in any future bid (Bruno's seat?) According to Talespin, Jimino's name has surfaced for a potential bid against Hevesi for Comptroller. Doubtful, unless she wants to lose statewide.
The downside for the Democrats is that the offices that went uncontested are patronage rich, unlike judicial positions. Further, Jacon, Spain, Egan and Lynch are useless in terms of aiding fellow Democrats unless it's within six months of their election.
Towns, Cities etc
The Democrats showed great strength in East Greenbush and North Greenbush, running the table on the Republicans. The North Greenbush showing was a major blowout.
Evers 2768
Ashe 1508
The rest of the races were almost as lopsided.
East Greenbush was a blowout also.
In Stephentown, Democrats took the town council.
In Rensselaer, they took City Hall and now control just about everything.
Berlin (queue banjo music from Deliverance) remains solidly Republican which is fine by us. It's scary out in them thar parts!
County Legislature
Here's where they came up short. Early returns were promising but somehow they forgot about the absentees. Initially, it looked like a gain of three seats (for a total of seven). Now, it looks like a gain of two. They moved forward but not enough to impact the process.
Overall a good showing. Much better than what many predicted. Still, the Republicans clearly have a strong edge. It'll be a tough nut to crack. Fault lines have appeared and one wonders if Jack Casey will be at the helm of the party next election-cycle.
Ultimately, despite its lack of political importance, the DeAngelis - Jacon race for County Court was the showcase race this year. Senator Bruno created a position for DeAngelis, anointed her for the job and she went down to defeat. We surmise that Senator Joe has become "one of those" politicians. He's been around a long time, he's been successful for a long time and now no longer wants to hear bad news. Thus, his people do not tell him things he doesn't want to hear. They know his days are numbered politically. Either he'll retire in the next few years or get ousted. Those of his people in the 30-45 year-old age bracket are now dusting off resumes and worrying more about their own ass than Joe's future.
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