Special state legislative elections thread (see OP for results/upcoming races)

[Badger]

In a recent confirmed election result I'm sure you're all waiting for, city council elections in my little burg were finalized last week. An acquaintance of mine ran as a nonpartisan (though he was a Republican recently, he was active in the local Obama campaign )among 6 candidates including 3 incumbents for 3 seats. After preliminary vote totals of almost 900 votes he was ahead by 1 vote! After provisional ballots were counted, out of over 900 votes he won by 2. I guess his sign in my front yard actually made a difference.

A woman who watches my son afternoons was elected to a nearby village school board. How conservative is my area? She is the first woman ever elected to the board. In 2009!

[Badger]

Upcoming special election in Minnesota SD26. Sen. Dick Day is resigning January 8 to lead a PAC lobbying to expand gambling allowed at the state's two horse racing tracks (I actually agree with him on this, but talk about a minor issue to resign over.) Primary will be January 12 if needed and election January 26. GOP hold is most likely but I won't rule out a pickup. Call it Lean GOP.

Issues have little to do with it, I suspect. I'm sure he's being more than handsomely paid for his job switch.

[Badger]

So the Republican has 6%? LOL.

Who the hell are these 34% of idiots though?

It's Jackson Heights. 8% (the final result) is a good showing for the Republicans. And presumably the 27% for Monserrate are Puerto Ricans (while the Peralta voters are Dominicans and other Hispanics, with all the Asians, not totally insubstantial in the seat, also supporting him).

Plus, Monserrate apparently tried to make the race about gay marriage (which Peralta supports). Not the greatest strategy in the heartland of the Hispanic gay community in NYC, but it probably won him some social conservative vote from various Hispanic groups.

What kind of place is Jackson Heights? All the ads on Bengali TV are for places in Jackson Heights.

That should tell you all you need to know. FWIW, when I visited my sister in Manhattan she would take us out to JH for what she calls the best Indian lunch in the city (Jackson Diner on 74th). From my brief stroll in the area, that neighborhood had a distinctly more urban feel than some of the more suburbanesqe parts of Queens.

[Badger]

And it comes out (no pun intended) that he's actually a closet case. Surprise surprise.

Great and typical NY Post article: Doesn't even mention the hypocrite voted against gay marriage, but basically does all but scream "rich corrupt QUEER politician!!! Did we mention he's GAY?!?" Nice job, Post.

[Badger]

Having actually read the soft cuddly language of (and voted on) Issue 3, I assure you few people knew what they were voting about. The same cannot be remotely said about Issue 2.