The NY primary for federal offices Tuesday chose a GOP candidate to oppose Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and several notable Congressional candidates, mostly Dems from the city.
Very low turnout, which means the base usually won.
Good, IMHO.
Wingnut Wendy Long, the most conservative candidate, natch, won the GOP US Senate primary easily over two regional candidates. Long is a wealthy Manhattan lawyer who clerked for Clarence Thomas, worked to get John Roberts and Samuel Alito onto the Supreme Court, and advised Romney in 2008 and 2012.
Long can raise some money from her wingnut welfare network, which will be wasted when she barely breaks 40 in November.
Gillibrand has many advantages -- name recognition, a blue state in a presidential election year, a remarkable record in her three-plus years in the Senate, pro-choice and pro-marriage equality, solid fund-raising, a steadily growing national profile, and opposition to the unpopular-in-NY Romney/House-teabagger program to comfort the comforted and afflict the afflicted.
Plus she is attractive, intelligent, hard-working, and extremely impressive in person and on TV.
Gillibrand would have landslided the other possible GOP candidates in November too, but beating Long will be special.
Thoughts on other races, below.
The other federal offices on the primary ballot were Congressional races -- good news there too.
NY-4 -- The Nassau GOP machine candidate won by 10. Eight-term Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy beat the machine guy by 8 in the tea-party wave year.
NY-6 -- (Roughly Gary Ackerman's district, open seat) Grace Meng, an Asian-American Assemblymember, won by 20-plus. Meng will be the first Asian-American elected to Congress from NY, and a reliable Democrat.
NY-7 -- Nine-term Democratic Rep. Nydia Velazquez beat a tool of the Brooklyn Democratic boss like a drum. Several Brooklyn Kossacks (Scott, Michael, Elana, etc.) helped.
NY-8 -- (Roughly Ed Towns' district, open seat) This got some national wingnut media attention, because they really, really wanted an anti-semitic former Black Panther to be a Democratic candidate for Congress. Didn't happen, by more than 3-1. Hakeem Jeffries will be much better than Towns.
NY-13 -- Overcoming lots of mostly-earned negative attention in the media, Charlie Rangel won by about 6. Second-place finisher Adriano Espaillat will certainly try again, and Rangel is 82.
NY-18 -- Late-entry Democrat Sean Maloney won by 16. He can raise money, and will be an active challenger to teabagging Nan Hayworth.
NY-19 -- Julian Schreibman won the Dem nomination by about 3-2. He has an even chance against incumbent Chris Gibson, mostly because the former NY-20 is now the much more Dem-friendly NY-19.
NY-21 -- A tea party type was creamed by 2010 loser Matt Doheny. But Democratic Rep. Bill Owens remains the most endangered NY Congressional incumbent.
NY-22 -- Another tea party type, this one challenging 2010 lucky rich guy Richard Hanna, gets clocked, by 70-30.
NY-23 -- Nate Shinigawa easily won the Dem primary to face incumbent Tom Reed in November. The Massa meltdown still lingers here, I fear.
NY-27 -- Also too, tea party favorite David Bellavia again fails to win a primary, 3-2 Tuesday. Kathy Hochul won a special for roughly this seat in May 2011 (after the tea party wave) by attacking her opponent for being a Republican who wants to gut Medicare and Social Security. She must do that again.
So, Wingnut Wendy wins, yet most other very conservative/tea party types like her lose by a lot in GOP primaries.
The Dems avoid a Barron embarrassment, and primary-elect solid candidates in every other Congressional race.
The Republicans primary-elect same-old, same-old establishment types, who will not inspire many tea-party activists to door-knock or phone-call in October.
Tuesday was a great night for NY Dems.
Both in the Dem and the GOP primary results.