Sudden bombshell out of Albany, New York: Joe Bruno, the longtime leader of the Republican delegation in the state senate, won’t stand for re-election. According to the New York Daily News:
It’s confirmed. A high-ranking Senate staffer said: “He will not run for re-election. It’s still open as to whether he will serve out the term until Dec. 31 or leave. early.”
For those not following state legislature races, control of the New York State Senate is the big enchilada this year. Each year we’ve chipped at it, edging closer to control (we’re currently down 32-30), and prognosticators have increasingly felt like this was the year it would flip, removing the main obstacle to implementing progressive policy in New York and placing 2010 redistricting control entirely in Democratic hands.
Apparently Bruno saw the handwriting on the wall (i.e. the remainder of his career spent in the minority) and decided this was a fine time to leave (although there’s also the small matter of his outside business interests being under FBI investigation). This may be the hole in the dam that bursts wide open; a number of other aging Republicans in Democratic-leaning areas (who are in their 70s or 80s, have been serving in the state senate since the 1970s, and have provided the margin for control) have stuck around largely because Bruno has corralled them, trying to maintain the majority. With him gone, look for a stampede for exits from other dinosaurs facing extinction like Frank Padavan and Caesar Trunzo.
Our candidate in SD-43 (in the Albany suburbs) is Brian Premo, although stronger challengers may emerge with Bruno out of the picture.
H/t RandySF.
I wonder how many R Senators decide to follow his lead. Sounds like a trifecta in NY is a done deal.
Will it be the majority party leader for whichever party wins the state senate in November?
over at the albany project.
The NY Democratic Party should start to invest some serious resources into this race, with Bruno out of the picture. This looks like an excellent Dem pickup opportunity. And upstate NY is trending Democratic at a rapid rate.
Assuming we take the NY state senate, which I think is likely, who is set to be the majority leader? I’m hoping he or she is a solid progressive who will work hard to push through progressive legislation.
Hopefully this won’t provoke State Sen. Lanza from reconsidering his decision to stay in the Senate and run for the open seat. Not that I doubt that McMahon wouldn’t win easily, but a challenge from Lanza might force Dems to spend more money here than we would with whatever D-list candidate the GOP ends up with, and that’s money better spent in other vulnerable districts.
Eliot Spitzer got what he wanted after all.