As you may have heard, there's an election today. Everything I'm hearing from the battlegrounds - Long Island, Erie, Monroe - indicates that we didn't perhaps do quite as well as expected.

TAP has an open thread for election results, here.

Results will be forthcoming as they become available.

[Update]: Nassau BOE, Suffolk BOE

[Update 2]: Andrew C. White, blogger extraordinaire running for Town Supervisor in Stephentown, lost. By email:

Supervisor:
White (D) – 417
Sherman ( R ) – 575

Council:
Eckhardt ( R ) – 630
Prescott – ( R ) – 596
Jennings – ( D ) – 413
McEwan – ( D ) – 374

Highway Superintendent:
Gardner ( R ) – 588
Sykes ( D ) – 467

D.A.:
Cholakis ( R ) – 503
McNally ( D ) – 455

Bummer.

[Update 3]: Nassau seems to be holding. Nailbiter for Mejias, results live here Close race in Suffolk's 4th district, with Democrat Brian Beedenbender leading republican Thomas Muratore 51.38% to 48.62%, 36 out of 51 EDs reporting. The actual vote count is 3,971 to 3,757.

[Update 4]: Erie County Exec race, over, we lost. Alan Bedenko, BuffaloPundit, has also conceded. And it looks as if Nassau isn't holding, either.

[Update 5]: Mejias is definitely a nailbiter; 56 out of 57 EDs counted, and Mejias leads 6,108 to 5,847. Democrats have taken the Islip Town Board, lost that of Brookhaven, and expanded the majority in the Suffolk legislature.

[Update 6, final]: The GOP is not conceding the Mejias race and demanding the ballots be impounded. Closer to home, thank you, bigot-enabling Corruptocrat Demotards: Noach Dear, bigot, was elected to a judgeship, 65% to 35%, per Azi. Welcome to New York City, where your Democratic Party has just made gays second-class citizens.

Dave Pollak just emailed over as follows:

The 2007 Elections are only 3 weeks away, and we need your help to guarantee Democratic success in critical races across NY State! Not only are we working to elect great Democratic candidates right now, but their victories will help build towards future Democratic victories in 2008 and beyond.

As you know, the NY Dems are hosting weekend canvassing on Long Island and weeknight phonebanking in Manhattan from now until Election Day, November 6. Our Long Island Political Director, Lauren Corcoran-Doolin (laurend [at] nydems [dot] org), has additional information about canvassing/phonebanking dates, places and times, or you can contact Claire Silberman at claire.silberman [at] gmail [dot] com with any other questions or comments. There are critical volunteer needs upstate as well so please contact our Upstate Political Director Cathy Calhoun at cathyc [at] nydems [dot] org to get people plugged in outside of the NYC area.

This brings me to a related subject: we all love to bitch and moan and complain about how bad the Democrats are, and all the many ways, large and small, they disappoint. I do this regularly and, frankly, with cause. Two words: Noach Dear.

That said, the concerns of people who actually go out there, knock on the doors, write the checks, carry the petitions, make the calls, in short, do the hard work, are far more likely to be heard.

So, let's get out there and get us some more, and better, Democrats.

Danger Democrat alerts us to a very blunt City Council campaign in Plattsburgh.

Yup, we need more of that. And not just on yard signs.

UPDATE AT BOTTOM

Thursday May 31st is the endorsement meeting for this year's Judicial elections at the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND). Last week was the endorsement meeting of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID) and in preparation for it I discussed my own feelings on the various races and afterwards I discussed what happened at the meeting.

This week, in preparation for the IND meeting, I want to mention a few endorsements, including presenting a letter my wife helped write, but signed by several people, endorsing Devin Cohen for Civil Court Judge, 6th Judicial District. I will start with my wife's letter, quoted in full:

As you know, CBID will be voting tonight to endorse a candidate in the election for Civil Court Judge, 6th Judicial District. We would like to ask you to support Devin Cohen for that position.

Tonight was CBID's endorsement meeting for the 2007 Brooklyn judicial races. It was a LONG meeting and I was watching my son, Jacob, so only caght parts of it. Here are my scattered observations:

First off, Jacob, despite being in the midst of the terrible twos, was WONDERFUL. Played outside and in the child care section of the church where CBID holds its meetings. If CBID ever moved its meetings, we couldn't bring Jacob. But as it is, he loves it. Yay Jacob!

NOTE: I am getting emails and calls on this article and am updating as good points are made

As the rest of the nation looks ahead to 2008, and much of NYC is already looking to the apocalyptic 2009 elections, Brooklyn has some judicial races coming up that are proving to be interesting for those of us who are obsessed with local politics. One of those races is for a position that never should have existed, but now that it does, it needs to be freed from the grip of the local corrupt machine.

I know no one who is mourning the departure of Kings County’s second Surrogate judge Seiddio. Rather many suggest he never should have been there in the first place because he never was even remotely qualified except as a loyal tool of the machine (UPDATE: One person says he thinks Seddio has practiced probate law in private practice, which would certainly be a qualification beyond mere cronyism. I have not been able to confirm this, so far finding only bankruptcy law listed for Seddio, but it certainly is possible). And many say the position he filled, a second Surrogate judicial position in Kings County, should never have been created either.