"Republicans have held a majority in the [State] Senate for all but one of the last 70 years," says the New York Times, but this year they're sweating it. "They're fighting for their survival," says a Republican consultant. So they've shipped in Swift Boaters and other operatives from DC to hold their one-vote majority. But their cause looks shaky: even 11-term vet Serphin Maltese faces a credible challenge, the national GOP has cut off most of their funds, and ticket-leader John McCain is about as popular as death in the Empire State.

But dig they must, because there's a lot more at stake than some career public servants' jobs. "The biggest fear," State Senator Charles J. Fuschillo Jr. tells the paper, "is that if we lose the majority, all funding goes to New York City." (Cue ominous music.)

In contrast, Dave Pollak, New York State Obama Director, tells the Gotham Gazette expects Obama's popularity "should have a coattail effect on close elections farther down the ballot."