Buoyed by what is at the very least a stalemate in the special election to replace disgraced State Sen. Carl Kruger in a deeply Democratic district, Senate Republicans say they now smell blood in the water and are looking to grow their 32-seat majority in the chamber.
The GOP now controls all nine seats in Long Island, while every seat Upstate under the new redistricting plan is gerrymandered to either be a Republican-held district that slightly leans in their favor, or a Democratic vote sink designed to make those neighboring Republican districts even more conservative.
This leaves them only four Democratic-held seats they could feasibly have their eyes on–and conversations with GOP operatives say that they are taking a long look at each of them.
Chief among them is State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer’s seat. Ms. Oppenheimer isn’t seeking reelection and her Westchester-based district was reconstructed to tilt to the GOP, creating a prime open seat opportunity. Furthermore, she only barely won reelection in 2010 in her then-more Democratic district, and her opponent in that race, businessman Bob Cohen, is running again this year.
Read More: http://www.politicker.com/2012/03/22/senate-republicans-look-to-play-offense-in-new-york-city-and-westchester/
