Brad Hoylman (Photo: Facebook)

It look likes retiring State Senator Tom Duane's pick to replace him is definitely getting into the race. Brad Hoylman, the Chairperson of Community Board 2 in Manhattan, has formally registered a campaign committee for the seat.

"One of my closest friends is Brad Hoylman and I've made no secret at all of my fondness for him," Mr. Duane said in an interview on Capital Tonight yesterday. "I haven't officially made an endorsement but I would be very proud to have Brad Hoylman represent me in the district that I have been representing and I think he would share my values and fight as hard as I have been fighting."

The move hardly comes as a surprise, Mr. Hoylman was already fully expected to run, but the fast developments are tribute to the fact that petitioning to get onto the ballot begins today and candidates for the the State Legislature have to push the gas pedal on their campaigns -- even if they haven't officially begun campaigning yet.

There is also a very limited time for other candidates to enter the race for that very reason. Various contenders for the seat have been mentioned in political circles -- including Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh -- but only one candidate, Corey Johnson, who chairs a neighboring community board, has openly declared that he is considering the race.

Like Mr. Hoylman, Mr. Johnson had previously been preparing to run for Council Speaker Christine Quinn's seat in 2013.

"In the less-than-24 hours since this news broke, a number of people have inquired about my potential interest in this seat. As many of you know, I have been preparing for a campaign for the City Council seat currently held by Speaker Quinn," he said in a statement yesterday. "I will be weighing this decision very carefully in the coming days, and will make an announcement in due course."

Regardless, other candidates will need to be making their announcements in a hurry, as otherwise they'll be sacrificing precious time to get enough signatures to place their names on the ballot.