Scoop: NY-21: Next Congressmember?

My friend Dan asked me to post a link to an exclusive report on his blog,
http://www.albanyweblog.com/
about the seat opening up in NY-21 with the announced retirement of Mike McNulty at the end of his present term. The seat, based in Albany County, is as blue as the sky: the constituents are divided between old line machine Dems dating back to the Dan O'Connell/Erastus Corning era, now led by Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, and a growing progressive movement that defeated the machine to elect David Soares Albany County DA. McNulty, having reversed his position on Bush's Iraq war from kneejerk support to passionate opposition, has had support from both camps.

McNulty himself was elected by one man, one vote - that one man was Leo O'Brien, then head of the machine.  The incumbent, Sam Stratton, announced his decision not to seek re-election after the filing deadline for the Dem primary, so O'Brien simply appointed McNulty to be the Dem candidate, tantamount to election.  

Dan was hobnobbing with some of the prominent area progressive Dems  when the incumbent State Senator, Neil Breslin, told him "...If all goes well, I'm looking at an anouncement in two or three weeks."  

Here is some of Dan's blog report:

The announced retirement of Michael McNulty after 20 years in Congress stunned most people around Albany NY. Among the stunned are most of the local political creatures and all of the corporate media content providers. At first glance no one appears to be prepared to take his seat. We have a wide open field and no designated succesor....

We are all still McNulty’s constituents until January oh nine. Therefore, we all have a solemn civic duty to light a fire under his butt and make him work for us. After all, as a lame duck, he need no longer fear anybody or anything... parties, corporations, corporate media, imaginary phantoms, Dick Cheney or Hillary Clinton. That leaves us, the voters.

But first, let’s discuss his successor....at this Saturday night gathering at a house uphill from Buckingham Pond, a rumor ignited.  I dropped my paper plate and slipped into the kitchen, where Assembly member Jack McEneny was holding forth about something or other for a tight circle of elected progressives. I put my hand on Senator Neil Breslin’s shoulder. "So Neil," I whispered, not wanting to interrupt the lecture. "When are you going to announce?" He laughed and stepped aside. "Well, I have to talk to some people, so I’m not sure yet," he said. "Test the waters, my staff has to do some polling. If all goes well, we’re looking at an announcement in two or three weeks."

He sounded real serious to me. For a rock solid confirmation I asked Ellen, his spouse, "Are you looking forward to being the congressman’s wife?" She rearranged her face into an expression that she will no doubt be presenting to thousands of tactless questioners like myself in the coming year. "I think it’s a great idea, and if he wants to do it I’m behind him all the way," she told me.