(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.

"Mark Gjonaj is spending big bucks too try and become our assemblyman, but the truth is, he doesn't know our community at all," a campaign mailing declares. "Truth is Mark Gjonaj is raking in the big bucks as a wealthy landlord while actually living on exclusive City Island. Mark Gjonaj wants to go to Albany to help his rich landlord friends get more money out of our pockets."

But another campaign mailer now circulating the district this week hits Ms. Rivera back even harder. The flier, which presumably emanated from Mr. Gjonaj given its professional quality, is designed to look like an actual FBI case file for Ms. Rivera, laying out the evidence of her alleged misdeeds and listing her "Trial Date" as" TBD."

(Also in the race but throwing a few less punches are Adam Bermudez and Irene Estrada-Rukaj).

Voters head to the polls in less than 48 hours, and it will be interesting to see what effect the allegations against the incumbent have on the final margin.

Click on the images below to view larger versions of them:

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.

Naomi Rivera (Photo: Facebook)

Woe be to the pol against whom the tabloids can wield a story that combines allegations of both sex and corruption. That's the lesson Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera has learned the hard way over the past ten days, as the New York Post has dropped least seven articles and editorials suggesting scandal, uncovering evidence that is now being investigated by multiple agencies.

It all started with the Post reporting Ms. Rivera had a secret Facebook account that featured romantic photos of her and a staffer she subsequently hired, creating a possible conflict of interest with another government job he simultaneously held in the Department of Education. The next day, they ran a story about Ms. Rivera's main primary challenger, Mark Gjonaj, calling for an investigation. The publication followed up on this the day after that with an article containing the criticism of a good-government group and an editorial blasting the entire Rivera clan, two of whom are also in elected office.

Outdoing itself further, the Post next found an ex-boyfriend of Ms. Rivera's, Vincent Pinela, admitting she gave him a job at a nonprofit and used it for personal expenses. They also ran a story where Mr. Pinela claimed she wielded her political influence to end his career at the nonprofit after the relationship ended.

In today's edition, the paper broke the news that the Bronx District Attorney, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the Department of Education are investigating the matter. An editorial contained in its pages called on Governor Andrew Cuomo's new ethics panel to investigate Ms. Rivera as well.

Should any of the investigations turn up anything, and Ms. Rivera lose her tough-looking reelection campaign, the Post seems like it will be able to rightfully claim yet another political scalp.

For her part, Ms. Rivera has issued strict denials that she broke any laws or acted unethically.

Regardless, all of the negative press is unlikely to help her as she faces off against not only Mr. Gjonaj, but also Adam Bermudez and Irene Estrada-Rukaj on September 13th -- less than a month from today.

(Photo: Gjonaj campaign)

Congressman Charlie Rangel certainly took note of who endorsed him as he fended off a primary challenge from State Senator Adriano Espaillat earlier this year -- not only is he backing a challenge to Mr. Espaillat as he seeks reelection in the State Senate, but he's also  reportedly supporting opponents running against Mr. Espaillat's backers, like Senator Gustavo Rivera. Well, two can play at that game.

Earlier this morning Mr. Espaillat announced he was endorsing Mark Gjonaj, running against incumbent Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera. The endorsement stands out as Ms. Rivera was a prominent supporter of Mr. Rangel's, even appearing on the front page of The New York Times at his victory party.

"As a long-time leader in our community, nobody has worked harder or delivered more than Mark Gjonaj," Mr. Espaillat said in a statement. “I need Mark in the State Assembly fighting alongside me as we fight for more affordable housing, safer streets, and the best possible education for our children. Please join me in supporting Mark Gjonaj for State Assembly."

But Mr. Espaillat's toes were not the only ones Ms. Rivera stepped on with her congressional endorsements. She also endorsed Councilman Erik Dilan's challenge to Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, who's now reportedly out for blood.

“I’m going to go in and I’m going to campaign,” she told the Bronx Times. “I can assure you, that when I come to the Bronx, all those Latinos know who I am. Believe me, those Latinos, they love me!”

Ms. Rivera has plenty of her own support, however, including Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz, Jr.

Adam Bermudez and Irene Estrada-Rukaj are joining Mr. Gjonaj in attempting to unseat Ms. Rivera in the September 13th Democratic primary.

Naomi Rivera (Photo: Facebook)

Yesterday morning, the New York Post reported that Bronx Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera had an online alter ego Daniela Rivera, a Facebook account where she was more open about her private life, including her relations with a former staffer in her office who reportedly held another full-time government job at the time. Understandably, Ms. Rivera's electoral rivals in the September 13th Democratic primary are eager to highlight the potential conflict of interest further.

The seemingly strongest and most well-funded of those challengers, businessman Mark Gjonaj, released a statement this afternoon citing New York State's ethics code for lawmakers and declaring "the public has the right to expect a full investigation into the conflict of interest by all appropriate government agencies."

"Where are the records showing his official duties and responsibilities as a full-time employee?" the statement asked about the former staffer. "Where are the time sheets showing the hours he worked?  Did he receive clearance from Assembly Counsel for outside income from his full time Department of Education taxpayer funded salary? Was there a competitive hiring process for the position?"

Another one of those challengers, reporter-turned-Democratic operative Adam Bermudez, was also critical.

"What is this god? Why did you give me something so unholy to be gleeful about moments after getting home from church?" he wrote on Facebook after the story broke. "Full disclosure: I presently have no secret girl-toy or boy-toy on any tax paid payroll unlike my opponent. I also have never donated to the RNC or John McCain like my other opponent. I'M ACTUALLY THE BEST DEMOCRAT IN THIS RACE! I KNOW ITS CRAZY, BUT VOTE FOR ME, MAYBE?"

Viewthe Gjonaj campaign's full statement below:

Yesterday's New York Post story by Candice Giove raises serious questions and concerns. The reported hiring of Ms. Rivera's boyfriend for a full-time job in her district office is a clear impropriety. The fact that Mr. Torres was already working a full-time job for the Department of Education raises the question of how many full-time jobs can the tax payers pay him for. The public has the right to have their elected officials carry themselves in a manner that positively reflects on their community. We will let the voters decide on that question.

New York State Public Officers Law Section 73 14(a) explicitly prohibits family members from working for one another and this situation is no different. It also raises the following set of questions that the public has the right to know:

Where are the records showing his official duties and responsibilities as a full-time employee?  Where are the time sheets showing the hours he worked?  Did he receive clearance from Assembly Counsel for outside income from his full time Department of Education taxpayer funded salary? Was there a competitive hiring process for the position?

In light of these outstanding issues the public has the right to expect a full investigation into the conflict of interest by all appropriate government agencies.