Manhattan Orthodoxy in Local Races

A visit to the polls this morning confirms what I already knew: no competition in the West Village for any political office at the state and local level.

For State Senate from the Village, Chelsea, and midtown - an open seat! - the Democrat Brad Hoylman was the only candidate on the ballot.  No Republican and no minor party candidate was running.  (And by the way, the minor parties like Conservative, Libertarian, Green and Working Families of course all had candidates for President.)

For State Assembly, Democrat Deborah Glick was the only candidate.

There were numerous candidates for state court judge, all Democrats running unopposed.  The Republicans had cross-endorsed one of the candidates, but otherwise no one appeared on the Republican line or on any of the minor party lines.

The Republicans did put up a candidate for U.S. Congress, Michael Chan, to run against the incumbent Jerrold Nadler.  I suppose I should be grateful for that.  Also, the Republicans had a candidate for U.S. Senate (Wendy Long), although I have never seen an ad for her, and I bet that I was the only person in the polling place (out of hundreds) who could have come up with her name before I got the ballot.