Go Go Gennaro!

The battle for the State Senate is raging in many districts across the state and things are looking good for many Democratic challengers. One of those just happens to be right here in NYC, specifically in Northeast Queens. Councilman Jim Gennaro is seeking to oust longtime Senator Padavan. Incumbents usually hold huge advantages and especially so in New York. Yet the political climate is looking more and more favorable for a future Democratic majority and for a future Senator Gennaro.

From The NY Observer:

Democratic State Senate candidate Jim Gennaro, who is trying to unseat Republican Frank Padavan, says he can ride the coattails of national Democrats in his district, but the full picture could be more complicated.

His campaign just released figures of newly registered voters in the district, citing figures from the state Board of Elections.

"Between January and August of this year, 6,859 new voters enrolled in Senate District 11, according to the Board of Elections. Of them, 711 are Republicans and 4,083 are Democrats, giving the latter party a nearly six-to-one advantage with these voters.

"Democrats also overwhelmingly outnumber Republicans in Senate District 11's overall enrollment, 88,494 to 33,123 (a nearly three-to-one advantage)."

Azi's worry is that while Dems enjoy the large advantage, Padavan sits pretty because not everyone "pulls the lever down party lines." However, the 2006 example has nothing to do with what is going in 2008. Obama has large coattails and merely putting his name on a pollcard next to Barack's will have serious sway. Gennaro's progressive nature and outspokenness on important issues also has tremendous influence on the way Northeast Queens will vote. This is a time of change and that goes double for Padavan.