The following story cross posted from the Working Families Party Blog:
"The Working Families Party calls on Maureen O'Connell to release an audit of her performance as Nassau County Clerk. With O'Connell's record as Nassau County Clerk a major part of her campaign for State Senate, it is essential that voters are in possession of all the facts when they choose a new State Senator.

O'Connell has been in possession of the audit of her performance in office since January 12th. Instead of releasing the audit to the public, O'Connell has broken with protocol and refused to comment on the audit until after the election. Voters in the Seventh Senate District deserve to know all the facts when they vote in the February 6 special election.

With the 7th District special election approaching in February due to Mike Balboni joining the Spitzer administration a thought on how the Democrats are due to gain an office regardless of the outcome!

The Democrats have nominated Craig Johnson, County Legislator who will be opposed by Maureen O'connell the Republican County Clerk and only remaining Countywide Republican elected official.  A win by Johnson gains a Democratic Seat and closes the Senate to a narrow 33 to 29 Republican majority.  It will also create a special election for Johnson's seat in a solidly progressive North Shore area of Nassau County that has been a Democratic seat since the legislatures inception.

An O'connell will serve to hold a Republican Senate seat but create a vacancy in the County Clerk that Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi will fill with a Democrat joining the Executive, Comptroller, DA and Chair of the Board of Assessors to form a 100% Democratic hold on Countywide offices.

For more posts like this please visit the NY and LI Progressive Political Post at http://p067.ezboard.com/fthenyandliprogr essivepoliticalpostfrm9

I was surpised to see from the results taken off the SOS site that Ciro actually won the early voting in TX23. Here are the numbers by county:

County       Bonilla Rodriguez Total   Precincts Total
              REP     DEM     Votes    Reported Precincts
ALL COUNTIES  32,165  38,247  70,412       267 267
Early         14,419  16,896  31,315  
BEXAR         19,921  25,603  45,524        92  92
Early          9,191  11,846  21,037  
BREWSTER         630     692   1,322         9   9
Early            343     280     623
CROCKETT         369     103     472         5   5
Early            217      47     264
CULBERSON         68      78     146         5   5
Early             31      10      41
DIMMIT           292     867   1,159         8   8
Early             83     161     244
EDWARDS          325      82     407         6   6
Early            154      34     188
EL PASO          226     422     648         8   8
Early             60     119     179  
HUDSPETH         130      36     166         6   6
Early             13       7      20
JEFF DAVIS       321     189     510         6   6
Early            163      80     243
KINNEY           416     216     632         5   5
Early            196      97     293
MAVERICK         471   2,857   3,328        15  15
Early            154   1,402   1,556
MEDINA         3,174   1,511   4,685        24  24
Early          1,080     434   1,514
PECOS            875     444   1,319         8   8
Early            441     236     677
PRESIDIO         161     299     460         8   8
Early             88     131     219  
REEVES           476     361     837        12  12
Early            239     189     428  
SUTTON           146      53     199         5   5
Early             63       7      70  
TERRELL          100      61     161         5   5
Early             49      26      75
UVALDE         1,867   1,220   3,087        15  15
Early            754     437   1,191
VAL VERDE      1,942   1,873   3,815        18  18
Early            993     901   1,894
ZAVALA           255   1,280   1,535         7   7
Early            107     452     559

---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
There has been a great deal discussed on these MYDD pages in support of Howard Dean's 50 state project and more discussed abpout the blueing of rural America and the Southwest. What I find interesting in these results is that when Democratic Bexar County (San Antonio) is taken out of the equation, Ciro still won the district by over 300 votes in the remaining mostly rural populated sections of the district.  It would seem that the Democratic Party truely is competitive again in rural America!

I cross posted this for the Peter King Watch. I was so impressed with the points that this 80 year old raised. While on the lengthy side it is so well written to still be a relatively quick read.

All I can say is that when this writers generation is gone we will never see another so well organized in thought and insightful as to size up a politician so accurately.

I just had to share this with our MYDD family. Please let me know in the comments your thoughts on it. To me it just reinforces the need to win this mid-term congressional elections and end the control of the Peter Kings in house districts around the nation.

As a Democrat I agree that Hevesi cannot be continued as State Comptroller. But a joke of a candidate like Mr. Callaghan who polled 22% before the scandal broke should not be the winner here. So I would like to see Hevesi re-elected on November 7th, than resign from office allowing a joint session of the state legislature to pick the successor. They will choose somebody like NYC Comptroller Thompson who knows how to manage multi billion dollar budgets.  

In an ideal world I would like a special election for the vacancy but my interpretation of the NY State Constitution is clear on this point, The Constitution states that the AG and Comptroller shall be elected in the "same year as the Governor", if the Comptroller is removed by a two thirds vote of the state senators elected than the Governor shall appoint the successor, if the Comptroller resigns than a joint session of the State Senate and State Assembly shall select the successor.  In other words no special election provision for State Comptroller.  

The choice is to have a joke like Callaghan for four years over a case of Chaeuffer abuse or vote Hevesi, have him resign and appoint a QUALIFIED successor! I choose the latter.  Make no mistake, Hevesi cannot continue for the next four years as our state comptroller but the Republicans should not get a freebee election to reward their failure in recruiting a viable candidate!

Please visit my blog The NY and LI Progressive Political Post at:
http://p067.ezboard.com/bthenyandliprogr essivepoliticalpost
and visit my Actblue page and let me know your thoughts of my donation choices at:
http://www.actblue.com/page/markspicksfo r06

DemiDem blogging at 631 Politics posted the following:

Marist
New Marist Poll results:

Spitzer 70, Faso 22.

Cuomo 56, Pirro 36

Hevesi 62, Callaghan 22

Clinton 67, Spencer 30

Wow, the highest statewide candidate i for the GOP is Pirro with 36%. maybe she can come down to Islip and help out Pammy?

The Pammy that DemiDem refers to is Pamela Greene the Republican Islip Town Councilmember running in a special town election to replace the disgraced Town Supervisor Pete McGowan whose administration was plagued with campaign finance scandal and construction scandals at the Town owned Long Island Islip McCarthur Airport.  She is being seriously challenged by Democrat Phil Nolan Jr. who was a former Suffolk County Legislator and has held many high appointed administration municipal positions in the city of Yonkers, Huntington and Babylon Townships.  Islip has 320,000 population and has not elected a Democratic Supervisor since 1967.  Everyone is sensing a tidal wae of tsunami proportions shaping up in NY and this will positively effect seven Republican House seats at play plus State legislative races.  DemiDem and I share the hope that it will swamp clear down to this Islip Town race as well.

GREAT GREAT GREAT article by Matt Stoller!!!!!
THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU!!!!
Matt your coverage of this event hit the ball out of the park. Expect a call from Joe Torre and Willie Randolph inquiring about your spring training availability.

In my heart I was beginning to give up on CT but these post Schlesinger events have restored my faith that Ned can win this thing!

Expect Lieberman to bring up Alan's casino player card fraud because we all know how important the complimentary shrimp cocktail is! As a fellow Jew I guess Lieberman could always say "Alan, I don't blame you for the frequent player fraud for free food, but did it have to be traif!" But alas that would require a sense of humor that only people oriented people seem to possess. That is my Lieberman psychobabble!

Well as seen on the MYDD post, the huge poll dump is in with GREAT NEWS for us. Peter King in a dead-heat with our own Dave Mejias 48% to 46%. Now we regular MYDD readers know that undecideds usually break heavily for the challenger especially a well known and long-term incumbent like Peter King.  But Dave Mejias will now have to face a three week onslaught on expensive NY City media of the balance of Kings millions.

On the ground locally Dave was on the wrong end of the Spitzer/Suozzi governor primary showing loyalty to his County Executive. For a while rumor had it that Spitzer would respond by not helping Mejias out.  Recently, however with statewide landslides looming for Spitzer/Hillary/Cuomo and Hevesi and with so many Republican held Congressional and State Senate seats at play with no Democratic incumbents imperiled, there has been alot of party unity rallying in places like Suffolk County and Upstate NY featuring Spitzer and Hillary on behalf of the local Democrats in hot races.  

They smell the blood and are going for the kill here in NY State as I write this post.  Dave will undoubtedly benefit from all this activity but will need the netroots to step up and show him a little love.  Please visit the Dave Mejias site at http://www.daveforamerica.com/ and contribute through ActBlue at my site http://www.actblue.com/page/markspicksfo r06