The Democratic Party Is Changing Forever. New York Just Showed Us How.

In the past, Democrats have let chances go by. In 2016, they didn’t put forward a candidate for Senate District 55, and Republican Rich Funke won despite Hillary Clinton winning the presidential race in the district by 56 percent to 38 percent. This year, Jen Lunsford, a community activist, will be on the ballot there. In District 22, also uncontested last cycle, Andrew Gounardes will challenge Marty Golden (who fatally struck an elderly woman with his vehicle in 2005). Five other Republicans have announced they’ll leave the Senate, opening up the prospect for further Democratic gains (the state party successfully recruited challengers for all these open seats). In the 5th District on Long Island, Jim Gaughran is back for a rematch after losing by less than 2,000 votes in 2016. Given the trends, he faces decent odds this time around.

Article source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-new-york-primaries_us_5b9b0adce4b046313fb96421