We New Yorkers, with our penchant for self-absorbed navel-gazing, may not like it, but right now, the only race in the country that truly matters is that in the second Congressional district of Ohio. The critical issue here is not just that this race represents a real chance to pick up another House seat and wittle down the razor-thin repug majority. Rather, the benefits that could accrue to Democrats if our candidate, Paul Hackett, wins over his brittle, corrupt opponent, are legion.

First, if you've somehow missed the firestorm in the blogosphere over this race, the basics: OH-2's former representative got kicked up to a cabinet position, leaving the seat free and thereby triggering a special election. Normally, because this district is so dark red, Democrats would only have put up a token challenge. This time around, however, with Bush's poll ratings tanking, his legislative agenda stalled and deeply unpopular, things are different.

We're also in the fortunate position of having a really good candidate, Paul Hackett, a former marine who was in Fallujah until four months ago. His opponent, Jean Schmidt, by contrast, is closely connected to Ohio's corrupt right-wing power structure.

If Paul wins this race - and there is a good chance he might - he'll be the only Iraq War veteran in Congress, and that brings with it a number of political changes. First of all, we'd be able to point to him when the repugs next try to paint us as hippie draft-dodgers and the like. Second, if we win this race, it will finally show the Democrats, with a real-life example of success, that we can compete, and win, everywhere. Third, because this election has been largely fought over Bush, a Hackett win will stand as a decisive rejection of the Bush agenda. If you want to help, go to his web site and make a donation or volunteer, pronto; the NRCC just dumped a half-million dollars into this race.

By contrast, the question of which Democrat exactly will get his or her ass kicked by Bloomberg seems quaint, doesn't it?

There's a deeper reason why this race matters more than the tedious Democratic primary. It's not that the question of who the next mayor of the country's largest city (and prime terrorist target) will be does not matter, far from it. The problem in this town is that our local Democratic Party has not produced a credible, let alone exciting, mayoral candidate in many, many moons. Yes, Freddy, this means you.

We're presently being offered a weak stable of timid, mealy-mouthed non-entities, with the possible exception of Anthony Weiner - who, of course, has all the charisma and pull of a worn door-knob on the stump, not that you'd be able to tell, because the man is in Washington most of the time. Freddy Ferrer, of course, is in his third run and third personality, without understanding that the voters still don't like him - maybe because most reasonable people don't think too highly of the Bronx machine, perhaps? As to Gifford, who would win if shameless pandering were the sole criterion, well, just ask one of his petitioners, who are currently lobbying to get him an independent spot on the November ballot, what they think of his chances. And Virginia Fields should of right be in an encyclopdia next to the entry Woulda Shoulda Coulda.

New York progressives should turn their eyes to the state of our party, and start looking for the Hacketts of the world, if we ever want to win in this town again. The current crop makes me want to move to Ohio, and I never thought I'd ever think that.