State GOP

The influence of the Republican Party in New York state has been slowly eroding in the past decade as Democrats have taken over state leadership.

Since Gov. George E. Pataki left office in 2005, the GOP has not held a statewide office, including the governor, attorney general and comptroller. Both U.S. Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 1998.

In the state Legislature, Democrats for the foreseeable future will maintain their comfortable majority in the Assembly. Republicans lost their hold on the Senate last year with the help of back-to-back victories by Democrat Darrel J. Aubertine, which turned the chamber over to Democratic leadership with a one-vote margin.

Earlier this year, Republicans lost a chance to regain a House seat in the special election that returned a Democrat to Washington from the heavily Republican 20th Congressional District to fill the position vacated with the appointment of now-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. It could get worse with history poised to repeat itself in the once-solid Republican 23rd Congressional District, if the state GOP stays on the sidelines.

In a race too close to call, Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava, the GOP nominee, is battling to hold on to one of the three seats Republicans still occupy in the state congressional delegation. Democrats represent the other 26 districts in the state.

Assemblywoman Scozzafava's nomination by 11 county party chairs has exposed tensions within the party. The nomination was contested; there were several other candidates. However, her mainstream positions that won her six terms in the Assembly have become fodder for extremists trying to pull the Republican Party to the right of center, especially on social issues. But Northern New York voters have shown themselves ready to support Democrats as well as Republicans. The district voted for President Obama in 2008.

Losing this seat will make it more difficult for the Republican Party to make a comeback and remain a force in state politics.

Assemblywoman Scozzafava has been the party's standard-bearer. The Republican Party has much to lose. State party leadership has been noticeably absent in this campaign. They have failed to rally in support of their candidate and to reinforce the choice of the county leaders. The party has supported Assemblywoman Scozzafava in the past and cannot abandon her now.