For most experienced political watchers, the whole Chris Lee blow-up might be interesting news fodder, but it ultimately doesn’t really change much. We’ll get a new Republican in the 26th District, but it will be a Republican almost certainly.
Consider the numbers: in 140 years of Dem/Repub rule of American politics, there have been exactly four Democrats that have represented the 29th. (source is ::gasp!:: WikiPedia.org) The district – even after we factor in the dissolution of the 29th – is tailor-made for Republicans, being a trifecta rural, white and relatively wealthy. The Census website illustrates these last points perfectly: The 26th district is 92% white with an average income of $55k, about four thousand dollars a year more than the national average.
A few years back, 13WHAM had a bunch of us bloggers on to discuss the primaries which included Chris Lee in his first run at Congress. While on the set, I actually looked up these very numbers. I would have looked pretty smart if I’d said them, too, which I didn’t.
Well, now I have. I still feel smart, damnit.
2 replies on “New York 29: Keep Your Powder Dry, Dems”
Yeah, it’s a shame. A Dem might do us some good.
I would say a Dem would definitely do some good. Especially since the thing that New York politics misses in general is dynamism: here in Rochester, we’ve had the same party controlling the County for years and the other controlling the City for years. Regardless of policy, so much unaltered power in any one location is just bad for the citizens.