There are two hotly contested primaries happening this Tuesday in our fair City's core, both of which feature young, Progressive reformers going up against well-established incumbents. In one case, we have Paul Newell and Luke Henry taking on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, in what Errol Louis called the most important race in this state; in the other, former Senate Minority Leader Marty Connor is in the fight of his life against Progressive challenger Daniel Squadron.

Here's a map: light blue is the 64th AD, red, the 25th Senate District.

The Working Families Party has taken positions in both races. In the SD-25 race, they're backing Dan Squadron, saying:

"This district is in need of a State Senator who will champion responsible development and shake things up in Albany. Daniel Squadron has a proven record of fighting for change," said Rocky Chin a member of the Chinatown/Lower East Side Club of the Working Families Party.

In the AD-64 race, by contrast, WFP stuck with Silver, arguing:

Culled from various emails, here are some debates upcoming in various Democratic primaries; expect fireworks.

Citizens Union is sponsoring a debate between Marty Connor and Dan Squadron, Wednesday, September 3, in the 25th Senatorial District.

St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, between Court and Clinton Streets
Brooklyn Heights, 7:00 -9:00 PM

In the 21st Senate District, Kevin Parker, Simcha Felder and Kendall Stewart will debate one another as well. That should be of interest.

Thursday, September 4, 8:00 PM at the 41st AD Democratic Club, 2942 Ave R cornier of Haring Street one block east of Nostrand

Also, while we were all in Denver, there were several debates between Steve Harrison and Michael McMahon for the NY-13 Congressional seat. One such debate, if that's the right term, can be read on the web site of the Brooklyn Paper, here. While you're there, also check out the Connor-Squadron debate in the paper's editorial rooms.

You won't, however, be treated to a similar experience in the Tenth CD race between Ed Towns and Kevin Powell, for the simple reason that incumbent Congressman Towns didn't quite deem it worth his while to actually debate his opponent. There are two transcripts, one for Powell's endorsement interview, one for Towns.

I got into a bit of hot water recently by comparing the performance of two Democratic campaigns in a primary; and in that same spirit, let's do another comparison, this time in the 25th District.

First, incumbent Marty Connor, under a headline that reads in part Momentum Builds for Senator’s Surging Re-Election Campaign:

New York, New York – July 15, 2008: Senator Martin Connor’s campaign announced today that it has raised over $120,000 in contributions for the July filing with the New York State Board of Elections.

“We are grateful for the extraordinary financial support Senator Connor has received in the last few months from every corner of the 25th Senate District. The Senator has a long record of fighting for the families of New York, and people have responded by supporting his re-election. We will have the resources we need to wage an aggressive re-election campaign,” said Chad Marlow, spokesman for Senator Connor’s re-election campaign.

Then, challenger Dan Squadron:

Today, Daniel Squadron, an insurgent candidate for State Senate in the 25th Senatorial District, announced another round of strong fundraising numbers – raising a total of $428,440 from 750 donors with cash on hand of approximately $291,000.

Squadron today also reaffirmed his pledge not to accept contributions from lobbyists, PACs or corporations. "People are hungry for real independence and a focus on working hard to get results – exactly the reason that so many people have gotten behind this effort," Squadron said. "Without accepting contributions from corporations, PACs or lobbyists we have built a strong campaign that will bring the people of the 25th Senate District the independent, progressive representation we so sorely need."

Outraising an incumbent by a factor of over three to one is pretty remarkable, one would think; but if recent commentary is any indication, Connor probably raised vastly superior super-dollars, much as Jimmy Dahroug gathered super-signatures when he came in with 1,400 versus 3,200 for his opponent in SD-3, Brian Foley.

And no, I'm not going to pick on the regrettable usage of the word "surging", except to note that the word is, these days, associated with something of a similar concept in a place called Iraq that doesn't seem to be going all that well.

Albany is the site of one of this nation's most dysfunctional state legislatures. It is well known for getting nothing done. This is one thing that cannot be completely blamed on the Republicans because Democrats like Shelly Silver are just as do-nothing as the Republicans. Winning the State Senate, and thus getting rid of the worst obstructionist, Joe Bruno, is a critical part of reforming Albany...and one I focus on at our NY State Act Blue Site, helping defend Andrea Stewart-Cousins' seat and supporting Jimmy Dahroug and Jim Gennaro in their State Senate bids. But there is more to reforming Albany than just electing more Democrats. We also have to defeat those Democrats who have become part of Albany dysfunction.

As the dust settles from Super Tuesday, leaving the Democratic race in an unsettled state - who's the frontrunner today? - it's worthwhile to take a look at what's happening sub rosa in our own state.

The biggest political question for New Yorkers, if not necessarily top of mind, is not whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama secure the Democratic nomination, or how either of them will take on John McCain or, haha, Mittens Romney. It is, rather, the scandalizing condition of our own state government, run by a bi-partisan legislative incumbency whose last interest is in the wishes of New Yorkers themselves. The dividing line between reactionary rot and the will of the people in New York is not a partisan one. It runs, rather, between meticulously protected incumbents and everyone else, including you.

And on that front as well, we finally see change, with a welcome convergence between the national and the state narrative of change. As Barack Obama said, "the world as it is is not the world as it has to be."

Consider this: Sheldon Silver, iron-fisted Albany patriarch of things as they are, elected to his seat in 1976, finally has a challenger in the Democratic primary. That challenger is Paul Newell, who made what can and should be considered a first major foray into the electoral arena yesterday, reaching out to core Democratic primary voters at polling places; Shelly, meanwhile, was presumably as always absent in Albany, polishing the levers of the machine that keeps him in power and the State Assembly a joke that ceased being funny a generation ago.