The political winds

There was a New York State Senate election yesterday in a mostly-rural district along the eastern edge of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, an area where 300 inches of snowfall in a year is not unusual. Republicans hold an 8-5 registration advantage here and have held this seat for nearly 100 years. Polls taken over the weekend showed the race too close to call, but the Democratic candidate, Paul Aubertine, won easily. This all but guarantees the Democrats will wrest control of the State Senate this fall for the first time in generations.