While the special election in New York’s 9^th congressional district was the star of the show last night, Democrats enjoyed great news in down-ballot races.

Democrats claimed victory in all six of the New York Assembly special elections held yesterday. Two of those victories came in districts overlapping the 9^th CD. Four of the six districts won are in New York City; the remaining two are upstate. 

• New York Assembly District 23: Phillip Goldfeder (D) defeated Jane Deacy (R).

• New York Assembly District 27: Michael Simanowitz (D) defeated Marco Desena (R).

• New York Assembly District 54: Rafael Espinal (D) defeated Jesus Gonzalez (WFP) and Deidra Towns (CFP).
• New York Assembly District 73: Dan Quart (D) defeated Paul Niehaus (R).

• New York Assembly District 116: Anthony Brindisi (D) defeated Gregory Johnson (R).

• New York Assembly District 144: Sean Ryan (D) defeated Sean Kipp (R) and Gregory Horn (G). 

These wins are only the latest in a series of state legislative special elections in which Democrats have won or overperformed. As this trend continues, Republican state legislators across the country should consider themselves on notice: voters are repeatedly and thoroughly rejecting the brand of right-wing extremism the GOP is pushing in statehouses.

In a vote that immediately sent shockwaves across the country, the New York state Legislature has voted to approve marriage equality.

With the fate of equality still in doubt nearly until the literal 11th hour Friday night –this despite near-unanimous support among Democratic legislators - the state Senate finally took up the bill.

Longtime equality supporter and Democratic Senator Thomas Duane gave an impassioned plea for support. And when the final tally was announced, the Senate chamber erupted in cheers and patriotic pride. See below for yourself:

But as moving as that moment was for us, watching live video of the vote, it was even more so for the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers whose chance at being treated equally hung in the balance for weeks. That hope and nervousness instantly turned to euphoria in New York and in rallies and pride celebrations across the country.

But nowhere was the joy and relief more palpable than in New York City:

New York’s Democratic legislators have been leading the fight for marriage equality since 2007, when similar legislation passed the overwhelmingly Democratic New York Assembly for the first time. The historically Republican Senate, where Democrats haven’t held more than a 1-seat majority since 1964, was a consistent roadblock to marriage equality.

But the turning point came this year when Senate Democrats announced that their conference was near-unanimous in favor of equality – offering a publicly united front and 29 of the 32 Senate votes needed for equality.

Congratulations to Senator Duane, Minority Leader Sampson, and Assembly Speaker Silver for lining up the critical Democratic votes for this historic victory.

We awoke yesterday to a world in which Democrats have won four special election victories in four consecutive weeks. 

In all of these specials, Democrats dramatically improved on their 2010 performance in the same districts. Three of the four victories flipped those seats from Republican to Democratic hands.

Many political observers attribute the Democratic win in New York’s 26^th Congressional District to national-level GOP overreach on Medicare. Similarly, the dramatic improvement in Democratic performance in recent statehouse special elections is likely tied to the extreme right-wing agendas the GOP is pushing in legislatures across the country. Congressional Republicans’ drive to turn Medicare into a voucher program has extreme policy kin in GOP statehouse agendas: the Wisconsin GOP’s attempt to eviscerate workers’ rights, the Maine GOP’s work to weaken child labor laws, and the New Hampshire GOP’s elimination of the minimum wage, to name only a few.

“Buyer’s remorse” may be a very real phenomenon that could continue to affect elections throughout the rest of the cycle.

Incidentally, the next significant electoral event on the horizon is a direct result of voters repudiating the extreme policies of a Republican majority elected in 2010. The recall elections in Wisconsin will begin on July 12, when at least three (probably more) Republican state senators will face voters over a year ahead of schedule.

Democratic victories in Wisconsin’s recalls this summer would do much more than extend this run of electoral successes and provide symbolic vindication for standing up to right-wing agendas that hurt working Americans. With six Republican state senators destined to appear on the ballot, Democrats have a real opportunity to retake the majority in Wisconsin’s upper chamber. Just as the NY-26 special was widely seen as a referendum on proposed Medicare changes, the Wisconsin recalls are being seen as specific rebukes of Gov. Walker and the state GOP’s attacks on workers’ rights. 

On January 19th, 2008, Republican state Senator James Alesi attempted to enter a home under construction but found the front door locked. So, without the knowledge or permission of the homeowner, Alesi wandered around back to the basement door; entered the home; and, finding there was not yet a completed staircase, attempted to climb a ladder to the next floor.

And like Humpty Dumpty before him (both were someplace they clearly shouldn't have been), Alesi fell from the ladder and broke his leg.

The homeowners, realizing that a criminal trespassing charge could potentially end the career of a public official like Alesi, took pity on the injured Senator and decided not to press charges.

But Alesi, who refers to himself as “Gentleman Jim” in campaign literature, responded to the homeowners’ graciousness… by suing them:

Setting aside Alesi’s blatant hypocrisy – filing a frivolous lawsuit of exactly the sort he attempted to outlaw through legislation – Alesi’s action is even more insidious than usual.

The statute of limitations in New York for both criminal charges and civil actions stemming from the incident was three years. That means both parties had until the close of business on January 18th, 2011 to file either a criminal trespassing complaint (by the homeowners against Alesi) or a civil personal injury lawsuit (by Alesi against the homeowners).

So Senator Alesi filed his lawsuit seeking at least $50,000 in damages at 10:13AM on the 18th – early enough to just make it under the deadline, but late enough to make it pretty much impossible for the homeowners to press charges against Alesi for trespassing.

Alesi’s delay means it’s now doubtful whether a jury will ever hear that Alesi, in fact, broke into the house in which he injured himself.

New York’s Irondequoit Democratic Committee summed up the incident in their periodic “WOW!!” segment:

As inconcevable [sic] as it may be Republican State Senator Jim Alesi is suing a local homeowner, a couple that he represents in Albany, because he broke his leg while committing an unlawful act on their property!! This is the same Republican Senator Alesi who sits on the State Senates ethics panel and proposed tort reform to preclude this type case from going forth. He never included any clause about law breaking public servants who would wait out the statute of limitations like a jackal in a hen house and then pounce on a person he is sworn to represent.

[emphasis in original]

Sadly, if Senator Alesi had injured himself just a few months earlier, voters this past November would have known exactly what type of character he has (or lacks) in time for the election. Instead, they’ll have to wait until November 2012 to pass judgment.

In that case, time may be on his side, but it’ll take more than all the king’s horses and all the king’s men to put Senator Alesi’s reputation back together again.

While this year was full of challenges for Democrats, Election Day brought successes, too.
Democrats won victories across the country, large and small, and even though many of them didn’t earn front-page headlines the next morning, we have plenty of reasons to be proud of what was accomplished.

Starting with the three below, we’re going to highlight some of the Democratic winners from this year’s Essential Races program whose victories make us especially proud.
Given how close some of these races were in the end, they’re a real testament to how everyone can make a difference for the progressive cause – by volunteering, donating just a few more dollars to the right campaign, or even simply reminding a few friends to get out and vote.

Stay tuned next week for another installment in our “Meet the Winners” series!

David Carlucci in New York (SD-38)

David captured a previously Republican state Senate seat in Rockland and Orange Counties, New York, winning by a strong margin to become the youngest member of the New York state Senate.

A true progressive and a reformer, David ran on a platform of creating a more open and accountable government – and that promise of reform was backed by his own experience and track record as Clarkstown’s popular and well-respected Town Clerk.

That track record was the subject of one of New York’s most eye-catching ads from the 2010 cycle:

As his campaign continued to catch fire in 2010, David’s district was included in the final installment of the DLCC Essential Races program. These Grassroots Essential Races were chosen entirely through grassroots nominations, and David’s race received the third-most nominations of any in the country (out of more than 6,000 districts with elections this year).

David talked about his campaign and what in means for New York in an interview with Capitol Tonight:

Kate Segal in Michigan (HD-62)

An expert on health policy, it took first-term state Representative Kate Segal less than two years to rise to become Vice-Chair of the Health Policy Committee. But her tenacity and support for a progressive health care vision made Rep. Segal a top target of Michigan Tea Party activists, who fielded one of their own against her in 2010.

Like many Tea Party targets, Rep. Segal endured withering, misleading attacks throughout the campaign, but she focused her campaign on her success helping to retain local businesses and protect important civic projects like the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy, which she discusses in the video below.

In September, Rep. Segal’s efforts were recognized when she was named “Legislator of the Year” by the Michigan Works! Association, a two-decade-old group representing employment and job training agencies around the state.

Thanks to her own focused campaign and her record of accomplishments, Rep. Segal not only turned back her right-wing challenger, but she did so with a convincing 55%-45% victory.

For her second term, Rep. Segal has already been elected by her Democratic colleagues to the second-highest position in their House caucus – Democratic Floor Leader. Rep. Segal is also now one of the newest members of the DLCC Board of Directors.

Larry Seaquist in Washington (HD-26-2)

Before joining the Washington legislature in 2006, Democratic state Representative Larry Seaquist led a storied career as a former US Navy Captain and Pentagon strategist, commanding four ships in his 32 years of service (including the Battleship Iowa).

But despite Rep. Seaquist’s unique history and personal popularity, his politically competitive district was vulnerable in this year’s elections.

Rep. Seaquist decided to try and break through the usual clutter of election-year TV ads with this simpler, yet effective ad that reminded voters of his long history of service and effective leadership in the legislature:

Swing voters rewarded Rep. Seaquist for his commitment to Washington’s public schools and transportation infrastructure by narrowly re-electing him to a third term this fall. His victory, in turn, helped Democrats retain their majority in the state House.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2010

Contact: Carolyn Fiddler
202.449.6754
fiddler@dlcc.org

Today Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Executive Director Michael Sargeant unveiled the list of state legislative campaigns that received the most votes from grassroots supporters across the country.

“While we originally planned to release a list of 10 Grassroots Essential Races, the sheer volume of votes we received prompted us to expand this roster of winning campaigns to 15,” said Sargeant. “This level of excitement among our supporters is great news for us as we enter the home stretch of this crucial election cycle.”

The DLCC revealed its list of 40 Essential Races last week. Some of the selected races are those expected to be the most competitive in their states. Others are bellwethers for similar districts elsewhere. Still others are examples of key races in critical redistricting battlegrounds.

With over 6,000 state legislative races on ballots across the country this November, state legislative races seldom get the attention even of sophisticated political observers. Individual districts are rarely polled publicly. The Essential Races program helps identify the races that will be most significant in 2010. At just 55 contests, the full Essential Races list constitutes only a fraction of the competitive state legislative campaigns this year. In 2008, more than 160 state legislative races were decided by 200 votes or fewer. A complete list of races to watch this fall would run into the hundreds.

"The Essential Races selected by our grassroots supporters represent only a few of the races deserving special attention,” explained Sargeant. “Thousands of Democrats are running professionalized, localized campaigns for state legislature in competitive races across the country, and the thousands of nominations we received demonstrate that our base is energized and engaged in this election.”

The list of Grassroots Essential Races contains contests from the states of Iowa, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas, to name only a few.

Last night, a helpful post on redistricting went up on DailyKos. askew provides historical context, an overview of the Democratic playing field, and a call to action, all in one little paragraph:

In 2001-2... Because the Republicans controlled so many state houses during the restricting process, they were able to create gerrymandered districts that resulted in historic gains for the Republicans in the 2002 midterms. The Democratic Party is determined to not let that happen again. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) (help elect state Reps/Sens), The National Democratic Redistricting Trust (legal team to fight redistricting) and Foundation for the Future (a 527 funded primarily by unions to provide data to the Democratic Party on how to draw maps to favor Democrats). However, they will need our help to GOTV and raise money for the 2010 midterms.

This morning, Alex Burns’ Morning Score gave us a nice little plug:

COMING SOON – THE DLCC’S MAP: The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, charged with waging state House and Senate campaigns this fall ahead of the next round of redistricting, is preparing to release a memo to Democratic stakeholders outlining the most urgent targets for the party this fall. “Of the legislatures with the power to draw congressional maps, 23 chambers in 17 states are within five seats of changing hands. These 17 states will draw 198 Congressional Districts,” DLCC executive director Michael Sargeant writes. “The bottom line: The results of the 2010 state legislative elections will define how key reforms and policies are decided for the next decade.” The DLCC’s top defensive targets: the Alabama Senate, Colorado Senate, Indiana House, Nevada Senate, New Hampshire Senate, New York Senate, Ohio House, Pennsylvania House and both chambers in Wisconsin. And its picks for offense: the Michigan Senate, Kentucky Senate, Tennessee House and Texas House.

Tune into this space next Monday for the memo to which he refers.

With questions beginning to fly concerning specific states, the DLCC is pleased to present, via RedistrictingFacts.com, a state-by-state breakdown of how redistricting actually works in each.

For example, did you know that an Independent Redistricting Commission administers the redistricting of both state legislative and congressional districts in Arizona? Check out the website to learn how the Commission members are appointed!

Were you aware that Governors have no veto authority over the maps drawn by the state legislatures in Connecticut and North Carolina?

Have you heard about the various states in which state Supreme Courts have some authority over the redistricting process?

Learn about all these things and more at http://redistrictingfacts.com/redistricting-by-state/!

In politics, any time you can get your opponent to repeat your own talking points, you’ve got the upper hand.

That’s what if felt like the other day when the Republican State Leadership Committee publicized a new Siena College poll showing only 27% of New Yorkers want the closely-divided State Senate to return to GOP control. Another 33% wanted Democrats to expand their 32-30 majority, and 34% said they were happy with the narrowly-divided status quo. We had highlighted the same poll earlier in the day.

The RSLC was thrilled because in their minds, that meant a “Majority of New Yorkers Oppose Democrat Gains in State Senate.” But they neglected to mention one important detail: the narrowly divided status quo is one in which Democrats nevertheless have a majority. Which means two-thirds of New Yorkers want either a small Democratic majority or an expanded one.

Only a quarter of New Yorkers actually believe that a Republican-controlled State Senate would be good for the people of New York.

Maybe that’s why the RSLC linked to the Siena College media release - which doesn’t even mention the question about State Senate control – and not to the poll results themselves.

And unless there’s any confusion about who those “keep it closely divided” voters are really planning to vote for, that 27% support for a Republican Senate looks pretty close to a high-water mark for the GOP statewide. In every single statewide head-to-head Siena tested, no Republican candidate earns more than 29% of the vote.

This is the clearest evidence yet that New York voters are not prepared to hand their government back to the party whose total disregard for middle class Americans caused the economic crisis we find ourselves in, and whose leaders have spent the last two years obstructing Democratic efforts to fix their mess.

New York Democrats have had to face a rocky economy and recession-induced budget shortfalls in their first few years as the majority party in the State Senate. But New York voters remember the previous 40 years of GOP control, and according to a new Siena College poll, only 27% of New York voters want to go back:

• 33%: Want to see Democrats expand their State Senate majority

• 34%: Prefer the status quo, in which Democrats hold a narrow edge
• 27%: Want to see Republicans re-take a majority

This has to be unwelcome news for State Senate Republicans. Between the GOP infighting occurring up and down the ballot and the collapse of the Senate Republicans’ statewide campaign apparatus, Republican Senate candidates were depending on a hostile electorate to carry them over the top in key districts.

But that electorate, while clearly hostile to incumbents (only 31% plan to re-elect their incumbent Senator in a generic question), is not scapegoating Democrats for the state’s troubles. And with Republicans showing extreme weakness in every statewide contest tested in the Sienna poll, there are no coattails for GOP legislative candidates to ride.

The New York Senate is a top redistricting priority for the Democratic Party this cycle, because Democratic control of the chamber would give Democrats complete control of the redistricting process for both congressional and state legislative districts.

Democrats have not held a majority in both legislative chambers in New York during a redistricting year since 1910 - exactly 100 years ago. The only other time this has occurred (since the advent of the Republican Party as a competitor) was in 1870.

For nearly 70 years, New York Senate Republicans were riding high. Flush with cash and protected by a typically unassailable majority (save for the 1964 Democratic wave), GOP Senate candidates could always count on a high-powered, high-spending campaign apparatus to save their seats. Until now.

The Capitol recently got an inside look at that once-proud GOP operation and the difference from as recently as one cycle ago. The collapse is nothing short of breathtaking:

The special-interest money that once flowed has dried to a trickle. As of January, the Senate GOP had about one-fifth of the cash on hand as they did at the same point in 2008. (…)

When they were in the majority, the SRCC operated out of a luxury 20-story building with 9,000 square feet of floor space. In the minority, with the threat of Republican-eviscerating redistricting oblivion looming, a shoe-string operation to retake the majority is being run from the second floor of a modest three-story building a few minutes’ walk from the Capitol, about a third of the size of the old one.

With less than $1 million on hand as of January, [State Sen. Tom] Libous has cut SRCC spending to the bone, from $158,000 a month to $48,000. In 2008, Libous did not even know the name of everyone on the SRCC payroll. Now, because they can afford much fewer, Libous can run down the entire list of staff in 10 seconds (…)

Senate Republicans will also have to do without their secret, taxpayer-funded communications and research shops that employed dozens of people and cost millions of dollars before Democrats discovered it last February. And fundraising has also dried up with most of the traditionally progressive sources that previously had to play ball with the GOP Senate majority in order to have any hope of legislative success.

And without their usual hoards of cash, the statewide GOP Senate committee is finding it has far less control over individual campaigns. But the committee is still inserting itself into local primaries - going so far as to publicly trash one likely GOP nominee - which is causing even more headaches for the party:

After [Republican Sen. Vincent] Leibell retired, meanwhile, the SRCC stepped in to endorse Somers Town Supervisor Mary Beth Murphy. She has also won the Conservative line. But these maneuvers have infuriated Assembly Member Greg Ball, who on paper would seem like a perfect candidate for Senate Republicans this year. He is a young Air Force veteran who has strong Tea Party support (…)

There is only one problem: Greg Ball.

“We think Greg Ball’s voting record is too erratic. We think his behavior is too erratic,” Libous said.

Ball said that he still holds out hope that the SRCC will see the writing on the wall and work to get Murphy off the Conservative line between now and November. But if Ball emerges from the primary without the Conservative line, Republicans could very well lose the seat, according to both Democratic and Republican strategists.

Of course, with 2010 shaping up to be a challenging climate for Democrats, no one is taking victory for granted. But in New York at least, Democrats have enough organizational advantages to feel confident.