(Photo: Facebook)

A number of other candidates have won tough races tonight. As the results come trickling in, here are some notable ones:

Assemblyman William Boyland Jr., currently facing federal charges that he solicited bribes to pay his legal bills in an unrelated federal corruption case, won against a slew of challengers. Six opponents split the anti-Boyland vote, allowing him to skate by with a weak plurality.

State Senator Shirley Huntley, indicted a couple weeks ago on charges that she helped deliver member items to a sham non-profit, lost to Councilman James Sanders, who waged an aggressive campaign and managed to turn out his base in a seat made less favorable to Ms. Huntley in redistricting.

Despite John Messer's full campaign war chest and some less-than-ideal lines after redistricting, Queens Democrats successfully pulled Senator Toby Ann Stavisky across the finish line for a comfortable victory.

Walter Mosley, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries pick to replace him, won a convincing victory over his fellow district leader, Ola Alabi.

Senator Martin Dilan, proving that Vito Lopez's woes are not his own, also won a dominating victory over his challenger Jason Otaño.

In what may be another victory from beyond Mr. Lopez's political grave, reports suggest District Leader Lincoln Restler is currently in a tough position against Chris Olechowski.

Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs somehow managed to pull off a dominating victory over Rodneyse Bichotte, even as the demographics of the district worked strongly against her. The veteran lawmaker will return to Albany for yet another term.

Also not sweating the demographics of his district, Assemblyman Mike Miller won against Etienne Adorno.

Ron Kim looks to be in a good position for Assemblywoman Grace Meng's old seat. Despite being backed by the county's Democratic organization, Mr. Kim appeared to be a bit of an underdog in the closing days of the campaign, so if true, it'll be an upset.

Mark Gjonaj looks like he'll pull it off against incumbent Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera, who's being investigated as to whether she abused her office.

In Brooklyn Civil Court races, we hear Richard Montelione and Schlomo Mostofsky were victorious.

Less surprising results:

• Eric Ulrich easily defeated Juan Reyes for the right to challenge Democratic Senator Joe Addabbo in November.
• Brad Holyman will replace State Senator Tom Duane in Manhattan.
• The Tischler brothers didn't make much of a mark against State Senate candidate Simcha Felder and Assemblyman Dov Hikind.
• Senator Neil Breslin cleaned up against spirited challenger Shawn Morse.
• Assemblyman Nick Perry defeated attorney Terry Hinds.
• Luis Sepulveda won Assemblyman Peter Rivera's old seat.

A map of New York City's State Senate districts.

It's Election Day in New York next Thursday! But instead of a titanic battle between ideologies--your Mitt Romneys vs. Barack Obamas, if you will--the options on the ballot will be little-noticed state legislative contests between candidates of the same party, often with few policy differences.

However, that doesn't mean that there aren't some exciting races happening. From "Who Gets Arrested for Raping a Grandmother?" to “Assemblywoman Caught Up in Sex Scandal with Two Young Men,” there's been no shortage of nasty drama and mud slinging as voters head to the polls.

Here's a breakdown of who's running and why it might matter who wins. The list below focuses on Democratic races because the few Republican primaries in this staunchly blue city tend to have clear favorites or are taking place in such Democratic territory that the victor is reasonably likely to be irrelevant.

So, without further ado...

Category #1: The End of the Rainbow

Four Republicans crossed the aisle to help pass gay marriage in New York last year, and three of them are running for re-election this year, Senators Mark Grisanti, Steve Saland and Roy McDonald, are all facing primary challengers that have come out on the opposite side of the marriage issue.

Advocates on both sides of the debate have invested heavily in these races, and regardless of the outcome, the results are sure to help set a national narrative about what happens to Republicans who support gay marriage. Can otherwise conservative lawmakers survive the backlash, or will their unorthodoxies topple their political careers? As state legislatures across this country consider passing gay marriage themselves, these three races could impact the discussion.

And with campaign literature like this, these races won't be short on fireworks.

Category #2: Indictment Excitement

There are a number of elected officials running for re-election with various criminal allegations hanging over their heads. If the more ethically challenged ones win and are eventually convicted of abusing their offices, the results of these races might send a depressing message about the state of the electorate. (They have all maintained their innocence.)

State Senator Shirley Huntley, who was arrested a couple weeks ago on charges that she used member items to line the pockets of her friends and family, is facing a very strong primary challenge from Councilman James Sanders. Even before Ms. Huntley's legal troubles, Mr. Sanders was mounting a credible primary challenge, as his base in Far Rockaway was drawn into her southeastern Queens district in this year's redistricting process. Mr. Sanders has also picked up support from a number of unions and the influential Rev. Floyd Flake, making this race seem like it's his to lose at this point.

Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. currently stands accused of one of the more hilarious acts of alleged official impropriety in recent memory -- taking bribes to pay for his legal bills he ran up in a separate bribery case. It's not clear if Mr. Boyland intends to fight the federal charges again or accept a plea deal, but the indictment--with wiretap evidence--seems pretty damning. Damning enough that he'd have a much harder re-election bid ahead of him if it weren't for the fact that he's facing eight (!) challengers who will split the anti-Boyland vote. With such a large field, it's difficult to get a clear read on this Brownsville and Ocean Hill-based district, but activist Tony Herbert and campaign operative Anthony Jones seems to be running some of the stronger non-Boyland campaigns.

Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera is being investigated by a small army of agencies on whether she may have illegally provided jobs to her boyfriends and used a nonprofit's funds for personal and political purposes. She faces a field of three opponents, but businessman Mark Gjonaj is running the most serious campaign of the bunch, with over $200,000 in his war chest and substantial investments in advertising and field operations. Ms. Rivera won't go down without a fight, however, and the Bronx Democratic establishment is pulling out all the stops to ensure she pulls out a victory. Will she be able to survive the barrage of bad headlines that have dogged her for the last few weeks and make it through Election Day?

Category #3: Rage Against the Machine

While Ms. Rivera's race features a classic establishment vs. insurgent dynamic, it's hardly the only one. Candidates across every borough except Staten Island are running against the folks who are currently in charge. Nowhere is this dynamic more pronounced than Brooklyn, where scandal-scarred Kings County Democratic boss Vito Lopez is still ostensibly in control and has yet to formally relinquish power. If anti-County candidates succeed, it will weaken the organizations' ability to convince mayoral contenders and other candidates they are still top dogs in this city.

District Leader Lincoln Restler is considered a rising star in Democratic politics, but before he can continue rising, he's going to have to win a tough reelection battle. Mr. Restler, a prominent critic of Mr. Lopez, would be cruising to reelection but for the fact his opponent, Chris Olechowski, is destined to receive the majority of the ballots in vote-heavy Hasidic Williamsburg. It seems like all the winds are blowing in Mr. Restler's favor, but given the bloc of votes against him, this will be a race that plenty of political observers will be following Thursday night.

Senator Martin Dilan may or may not be vulnerable, but given his close alliance with Mr. Lopez and the fact that his senate district overlaps with Mr. Lopez's assembly seat, his reelection race will serve as a test for the machine in Brooklyn's new political world. While Mr. Dilan would appear to have the edge, attorney Jason Otaño is mounting a vigorous campaign. If Mr. Otaño can make a strong showing, he could be a strong candidate in the future, at the very least.

Open Seat to replace outgoing Assemblywoman Grace Meng: A crowded field of candidates is vying to replace Ms. Meng--who left the her diverse seat based in Asian-majority Flushing to pursue a congressional campaign. The County's Democratic Party has backed Ron Kim, a former government aide and political operative, but his electoral prospects are far from clear. Ms. Meng has stayed out of the race and a number of other hopefuls, notably former City Council candidate Yen Chou, are in Mr. Kim's way. The other entrants in this unpredictable race are; Ethel Chen, Myungsuk Lee and Martha Flores-Vasquez.

Open seat to replace outgoing Assemblyman Rory Lancman: Mr. Lancman lost to Ms. Meng in her congressional race's Democratic primary and isn't pursuing reelection. His seat, like Ms. Meng's, is an Asian-majority district in northeastern Queens, but the field couldn't be more different as it features just two non-Asian candidates: community board chairman Jerry Iannece and former assembly chief of staff Nily Rozic. Queens Democrats are pushing hard for Mr. Iannece, and he would seem to be favored as a result. However, Ms. Rozic has picked up a number of notable endorsements, including The New York Times and various unions, creating a genuine horse race between the two.

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, who's also running for reelection in a Queens district that has been reconfigured to be Asian-majority, shouldn't really be that vulnerable without any major blunders in office and a reliably Democratic voting record. However, she only won 45 percent of the vote  in 2010 against two challengers. With a district that now includes new areas, she's facing a rematch against one of her 2010 foes, John Messer. Mr. Messer, a businessman and attorney, has his placed his personal wealth in the campaign too, to the tune of $500,000. Ms. Stavisky, with close ties to her senate colleagues and Queens County, has been doing plenty of her own fundraising and running an aggressive campaign, however.

Open seat to replace outgoing Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries: Mr. Jeffries is on his way to become Brooklyn's next congressman and he's leaving a vacant Fort Greene and Clinton Hill-based district behind him. Three contenders are hoping to replace him; Walter Mosley, Ola Alabi and Martine Guerrier. Mr. Mosley has the support of Mr. Jeffries, who has a strong base in the district, but Ms. Alabi has been racking up endorsements and doesn't appear to be someone who can be easily counted out. Ms. Guerrier recently earned the endorsement of The Times and could potentially make an electoral mark of her own come Election Day.

Open seat: Pretty much everyone and their mother has endorsed community board chairman Brad Hoylman to replace retiring Senator Tom Duane in his Midtown-based district, but businessman Tommy Greco is hoping he can make a dent with the help of the storied McManus Club. It wold be a pretty surprising upset for Mr. Greco to pull off a victory, however.
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Category #4: Demographic Pressures

Like it or not, voting patterns often correspond with with ethnicity and political candidates often seek to take advantage of this fact. Some incumbents hold on year after year in districts that don't exactly look like them, while others have seen their districts change beneath their feet since they were first elected. Sometimes it all comes down to the political talents of the incumbents, while in other cases, there just might not be a path to victory anymore.

Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz is facing a challenge from Ben Akselrod in a race that could demonstrate electoral power of southeastern Brooklyn's Russian-speaking community. Mr. Akselrod, who started off with a strong campaign, stumbled a bit lately when he release a campaign mailer that referred to crime going up in the "negrohood," a mistake that generated local and national coverage. Whoever wins will be one of the more vulnerable Democratic candidates in the city, as the district's Russian and Orthodox Jews communities are increasingly trending conservative at the ballot box.

In a race that will test demographic realities to their very limit, veteran Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs is hoping she can be successfully reelected again in a district that is only 15% white. She is facing a serious challenge from District Leader Rodneyse Bichotte, who is of Caribbean descent. Ms. Jacobs, a high-ranking member of the State Assembly, is hoping for high turnout in the district's observant Jewish community.

Assemblyman Mike Miller is running for reelection in a district that contains Woodhaven and is plurality Latino. He faces off against Etienne David Adorno, who seems to be mounting a spirited campaign. If Mr. Miller's fundraising were just a tad stronger, this might not be a race to watch, but his campaign war chest is fairly weak for an incumbent.
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Category #5: Odds & Ends

There are some races to keep your thumb on that might not fit into an overarching narrative, but could still be well-worth watching for various reasons. More details below.

State Senator Adriano Espaillat, who narrowly lost a campaign against veteran Rep. Charlie Rangel earlier this year, is now running for reelection and facing a Rangel-backed challenger in Guillermo Linares. Mr. Linares, who's been endorsed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and The New York Times, hasn't been holding his own in fundraising, but Mr. Espaillat has been spending lots of money and would appear to have the edge in this Washington Heights and West Side-based district. Mr. Espaillat is a leading contender for Mr. Rangel's seat in 2014, but his political career could be nipped in the bud if Mr. Linares is able to pull off an upset.

Open seat: With Mr. Linares' challenge to Mr. Espaillat, there's a new vacant Assembly district on the northern tip of Manhattan, and several contenders, including Mr. Linares' daughter Mayra Linares, are hoping to replace him. The other candidates include Assembly aide Gabriela Rosa and former candidate Ruben Vargas. Ms. Rosa, who is backed by Mr. Espaillat, and Ms. Linares, who is obviously being supported by her father, would appear to be the frontrunners. How much Mr. Espaillat and Mr. Linares can impact this race is unknown, however, as both may be focused on their own rivalry.

Councilman Charles Barron has made headlines in recent years with provocative campaigns for governor and congress, both of which he lost badly. However, Mr. Barron is not ready to exit stage right just yet. Insiders believe Mr, Barron and his wife, Assemblywoman Inez Barron, may intend to switch offices  and keep their respective seats in the family when he is term-limited in 2013. First, Ms. Barron will have to succeed in her own re-election bid against Chris Banks.

Moshe and Avraham Tischler, brothers who are 20 and 21 years old respectively, are challenging incumbent Assemblyman Dov Hikind and frontrunner State Senate candidate Simcha Felder for two overlapping Brooklyn seats. While neither is especially likely to win, should they post strong showings, it could be taken as a sign of weakness for the two establishment pols they're opposing, as well as the Orthodox Jewish political establishment at-large. Mr. Hikind doesn't have a GOP opponent but Mr. Felder is running against incumbent Republican Senator David Storobin, and he'll need Democrats on his side in the general election.

Assemblywoman Barbara Clark's ethical issues aren't quite enough to land her in the "Indictment Excitement" category, but attorney Clyde Vanel is running an active campaign and is hoping that voter dissatisfaction could lead to an upset in her eastern Queens district.
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Veteran Assemblyman Nick Perry shouldn't necessarily be vulnerable, but his opponent, attorney and community board chairman Terry Hinds, has a relatively strong profile.
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Well, there you have it. For those who really want to get into the weeds, there are also a number of competitive court races across the city. Otherwise, this list should be more than enough to keep you busy on Election Day. Politicker, of course, will be up late into the night following the results.

(Photo: Getty)

Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has maintained warm relations with the Republican Majority in the State Senate, seems to be on an aggressive path to repair some last-minute bridges with their Democratic counterparts before state legislators face competitive primary elections this Thursday. Over the last few days, Mr. Cuomo has endorsed Senators Adriano Espaillat and Neil Breslin, leading him to a complete hat trick when he endorsed Senator Toby Ann Stavisky for reelection earlier this morning.

“I am proud to support my good friend Toby Stavisky because she has been a fierce advocate for her community in the State Senate,” Mr. Cuomo declared in a statement. “As a former public school teacher, Toby has worked to make quality higher education accessible to all New Yorkers. I know that whether it is raising the minimum wage, enacting new laws to curb gun violence, or passing historic ethics reforms, her constituents can count on Toby Stavisky to represent them with distinction.”

Ms. Stavisky is facing off against businessman John Messer in the September 13th primary. Mr. Messer has self-funded his campaign to the tune of $500,000, making the election more competitive perhaps than it otherwise would be.

However, despite the trio of Democratic endorsements, it's unlikely Mr. Cuomo has stepped on any toes by backing Ms. Stavisky, Mr. Espaillat and Mr. Breslin, as all three of them are running in districts rather likely to remain Democratic regardless of who wins the primary.

Nevertheless, for partisans in the Empire State, the moves may help improve Mr. Cuomo's base should he move forward with his widely-speculated campaign for the White House in 2016.

John Messer shaking hands with Marc Anthony. (Photo: Facebook)

Back in March of this year, Democratic State Senate candidate John Messer, an attorney and businessman, pledged to invest half of a million dollars into his own campaign. Of course, lots of candidates pledge to spend large amounts, and, as can be seen in the case of Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos' campaign for the U.S. Senate, even money loaned to an electoral effort can be retracted. Mr. Messer, however, appears like he's fully on track to meet his promise as he seeks to unseat incumbent Queens Senator Toby Ann Stavisky.

Indeed, Mr. Messer's latest campaign finance records show that he loaned his campaign $150,000 at the end of August, which compliments the $350,000 he invested previously. Although he's received only a few individual contributions, the sum adds up to a hefty total for a state legislative primary, and his final vote margin could be partially testament to the effectiveness of a sizable campaign war chest. Mr. Messer has been freely spending the money too, putting much of it into field and advertising while leaving about $130,000 on hand as he enters the final stretch of of the primary race.

For her part, Ms. Stavisky seems to be taking the challenge seriously and has been raising tens of thousands of dollars from her fellow elected officials, adding up to a couple hundred thousand in total when individual and other political committee contribution are added in, which is not too shabby as she competes for a district that has been reconfigured with new voters so its overall demographic makeup is majority Asian.

Mr. Messer has openly made targeting the Asian vote a key priority of his campaign, but from the campaign finance filings, it's clear both campaigns are making the effort. In her latest report alone, for example, Ms. Stavisky purchased ads in The China Press, the Chinese Radio Network, the Korean Broadcasting Network, Korea Times New York, The Korea Channel, World Journal, Korean Central Daily News, and Ming Pao Daily News.

Voters head to the polls in just 7 days. The winner of the primary will be favored in November as he or she competes against Republican J.D. Kim.

John Messer gathers on stage with family members and supporters.

A D.J. played fast dance beats as attorney John Messer took the stage at the Flushing Mall this afternoon to formally announce his campaign against State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky in this year's Democratic primary. Introducing and endorsing Mr. Messer first was Isaac Sasson, who ran against both Mr. Messer and Ms. Stavisky in 2010. This election, Mr. Messer pointed out, will be a more direct, one-on-one battle.

"The reason why she won is that we had three people in that election," he explained at the start of his speech. "Everybody knows that when you bring more people into a race and you divide the vote, it gives an opportunity for an incumbent to win even though they don't have a majority of the votes."

"So the reason why we're really excited in this election, guess how many people are going to be on the ballot?" he continued. "Two!"

Another key difference is that redistricting reshaped Ms. Stavisky's district in order to make it majority Asian, an attribute Mr. Messer very much highlighted at his announcement event, with Chinese speakers and signage, not to mention his speech, which criticized Ms. Stavisky for not doing enough outreach to the community.

"This district is 53% Asian, but over the last ... decade since Toby Stavisky has been in office, there's never been an Asian that's worked in her office," he said. "As you can see here today, both of my campaign co-chairs are Asian, but it's not something political for me, it's something real. My family is Asian, my wife is Asian, and, according to my son Ryan, he's half Asian."

Defeating an incumbent is never easy, however, and Ms. Stavisky has been endorsed by every Asian elected official in the area, including congressional candidate Grace Meng. Interestingly, Ms. Meng's Republican opponent Dan Halloran was also in attendance at Mr. Messer's event.

"John's a friend, he's done a lot great things in the community," Mr. Halloran said to explain his presence, emphasizing that he has not endorsed any candidate in the race.  "Let's have a fight on the issues, let's talk about the issues. We get too distracted with party politics. It shouldn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican, it's can you fix the problems, do you listen to the people?"

For his part, even though he is campaigning for the Democratic nomination and only members of that party will be able to vote for him on September 13th, Mr. Messer declined to immediately offer an endorsement of either Mr. Halloran or Ms. Meng.

"Is it a hard decision?" he said, repeating our question inquiring on the matter and proceeding to pause and reflect. "You know what? I really just wish them all well."

Update: Mr. Messer reached out to say his team was working for Ms. Meng during her successful primary election and he fully supports her candidacy.

Toby Ann Stavisky

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, who recently announced she's moving into, and campaigning for, a newly created Asian-majority district (that still contains most of her pre-redistricting electoral territory), has consolidated the backing of every Asian-American elected official in New York City.

Councilman Peter Koo, Comptroller John Liu, and Assemblywoman Grace Meng all endorsed Ms. Stavisky at her endorsement event last week and the lone straggler, Councilwoman Margaret Chin, joined the crowd today, according to an announcement from Ms. Stavisky's campaign.

“As a former educator and the wife of a teacher, I know Toby Ann Stavisky is the right choice for all of New York’s students,” Ms. Chin said in a statement. “As the Chair of the Higher Education Committee in the State Senate, Toby made a college education more accessible for families throughout our state. We can count on Toby to be a fierce advocate for public schools and that’s why she has my full support.”

In addition to an army of elected officials, Ms. Stavisky's Flushing campaign announcement featured various members of Queens' Asian-American political establishment, including one of her rumored challengers, Yen Chou.

So far, no Asian candidate has emerged for the seat, although attorney John Messer has declared and indicated he's willing to heavily invest in the effort.

Grace Meng (photo: assembly.state.ny.us)

Last Friday, State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky announced she would move into a neighboring, Asian-majority State Senate district and seek reelection there rather than face a primary battle against her colleague Tony Avella. Notably headlining the event were two of the area's Asian-American elected officials: Councilman Peter Koo and Assemblywoman -- and congressional candidate -- Grace Meng. Asked if she had any reservations endorsing Ms. Stavisky instead of an Asian candidate, Ms. Meng stressed Ms. Stavisky's work on behalf of the community.

"Right now, we're focusing on the congressional race obviously," she said yesterday after an endorsement event from the Alliance of South Asian Labor where she had stressed the importance of adding to the diversity of Congress. “I mean, Toby happens to be someone that I have worked with extensively on issues relating to diversity and issues in our local community."

Ms. Meng also pointed out the lack of Asian-American candidates in the race, which rendered the question moot in her opinion. In addition to Ms. Stavisky, only attorney John Messer has declared his intentions to run for the seat.

"I think right now, to my knowledge, there are no other candidates that fit this background," she said. “So it's not really a question in this current race."

Asked again if she had any concerns, given the possibility of an Asian candidate eventually emerging, Ms. Meng said it was more important to focus on the issues.

"It's not just about electing someone of a particular ethnicity," she answered. "We want to make sure to elect people who pay attention to the issues of communities of color."

Ms. Meng's congressional race may very well be the only real hope of advancing Asian-American representation in New York City this year, which is interesting as the redistricting process specifically carved out two new Asian-majority Assembly districts in addition to the State Senate seat Ms. Stavisky is seeking.

In Upstate New York, a Tompkins County legislator of Japanese descent, Nate Shinagawa, is also hoping to help make history by unseating GOP Rep. Tom Reed.

Update: Although not on the official press release, Comptroller John Liu was also at Ms. Stavisky's announcement event, which featured a good portion of the entire Asian-American political establishment from Queens. Here's video of Mr. Liu's endorsement:

Toby Ann Stavisky (Photo: Facebook)

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, who was drawn into the same district as her colleague Tony Avella, shall forgo the potentially contentious incumbent-on-incumbent primary and instead will seek reelection in a new Asian-majority district created in Queens, according to an announcement email sent to her supporters earlier this evening.

Ms. Stavisky had previously indicated she was unsure of her plans, and while she said she was definitely running for reelection, the possibility of a messy primary against Mr. Avella was a looming problem for the Senate Democrats after the Republicans controlling the chamber released the new district boundaries. Since most of her old district is in the new Asian-majority seat, however, her announcement isn't exactly shocking.

 She will be kicking off her reelection campaign this Friday with a plethora of her fellow elected officials. The leading names on Ms. Stavisky's list of attendees, notably, are Queens' two local Asian-American elected officials: Councilman Peter Koo and Assemblywoman Grace Meng. If Ms. Stavisky can consolidate some support among the district's Asian constituencies, her reelection path could become substantially clearer.

Attorney John Messer is also in the race and has vowed to spend his own money to do so. However, despite the historic district, no Asian-American candidate has emerged for the seat yet. One Queens source suggested watching former City Council candidates S.J. Jung and Yen Chou, but given the diverseness of the district's Asian community, lower levels of citizenship and voter turnout among immigrant groups, and the advantages of incumbency, Ms. Stavisky surely starts out as the favorite.

Also attending Ms. Stavisky's Friday announcement rally are Borough President Helen Marshall, former Borough President Claire Shulman, State Senator Jose Peralta, Assembly Members Michael Simanowitz, Andrew Hevesi, and David Weprin; Council Members Karen Koslowitz, James Gennaro, Jimmy Van Bramer, and Danny Dromm; and "community leaders from throughout Queens."