Your intrepid bloggers made the trip out to Suffolk yesterday to get a feel of one of our top campaigns yesterday, the contest between Democrat Brian Foley and withered eternal incumbent Caesar Trunzo.

On arrival, more movement than district voters have seen from Trunzo in at least a decade.

The Brookhaven Democratic Committee storefront office.

If you can measure excitement for a campaign by the number of volunteers who show up on one of the last nice Saturdays of the year to go door to door, then this one is through the roof. Very impressive.

Suburban streetscape.

Foley speaking to volunteers.

Going door to door.

Breaking via Albany Project: Jimmy Dahroug just filed a stipulation in a courthouse in Suffolk to have his name removed from the September primary ballot in the Third Senatorial District.

I've been quite open about my disenchantment with Jimmy's campaign, but I'd also like to note that he's a smart guy with a compelling story who could very well play a role going forward. It's in everyone's interest to groom young talents, and that's exactly what Jimmy is; so I'm looking forward to seeing what his next steps are.

The Google, it is a miraculous thing, letting you find many things you night otherwise have not found.

For example, if you Google Caesar Trunzo, New York, you get this result:

That's his campaign headquarters or district office, if I'm not mistaken. The presence of the web link next to the address bar indicates the latter.

But if you Google Caesar Trunzo, Florida, you get something else entirely.

So apparently, there are two Caesar Trunzos who maintain residences in Florida, or one Caesar Trunzo who maintains two, while the New York Caesar Trunzo only has a campaign or government office.

That's rather odd, considering that the New York Caesar Trunzo represents a Senate district here.

Ivan Young, Dem Chair in Islip, Suffolk County, emails over short, sweet and above all, on the record:

I am confirming that Mr. Bodkin will not be entering the race for the State Senate in the 3rd SD this year.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

There is no corresponding announcement from Chris Bodkin, republican-turned-Democrat and rumored to be a candidate in the Democratic primary to take on Caesar Trunzo.

Alrighty then. The Democratic candidate to take on Caesar Trunzo is Jimmy Dahroug. The lack of a primary, of course, means that the general election between Trunzo and Dahroug begins, like, now. This will be a closely watched campaign, and can of right be considered a top-tier race for control of the State Senate.

So yeah, like I said, people aren't happy about the developing primary in the Third Senatorial District between Democrat Dahroug and republican Bodkin. At least one person was unhappy enough to sit down and go through Newsday's archives, apparently.

Which is where one can find this letter to the editor, penned on the passing of Richard Nixon, by one Christopher D. Bodkin of Islip, published on May 1st, 1994 (Nixon died on April 22nd, 1994):

I met Richard Nixon three times. Each time he was sitting behind the Mets dugout at Shea Stadium. My seats were always close by, and between innings small groups of people would go over to him to ask if he would autograph their programs or to just shake his hand and say hello. He always wore a jacket and tie, no matter how hot it was, and he was always gracious and friendly and only too happy to chat, mostly about baseball.

While I was growing up in the '50s and '60s, there was never a time when his name was not a household word.

To me, he was a man who appeared to be unexciting, yet he kept doing exciting, even extraordinary things. Nixon the politician was much like Hamlet the prince. Unexplainable character flaws created an atmosphere, an environment, that led to the tragic, needless and mysterious felony that was called Watergate. It was his undoing.

Yet, all of us are much more than the total of our mistakes. I believe that, in the fullness of time, Richard Nixon will be seen as the great man he was. In the meantime, it will be hard to think of political life in this country without him.

More immediately, it will be hard for me to go to Shea Stadium and look over to the Mets dugout and know that he will never be there again. I will miss him. [Emph. added]

Because nothing says "more and better Democrats" like paeans to Richard freaking Nixon, I suppose.

I just got a press release from Jimmy Dahroug, worth passing on, because it highlights the problems created by the antediluvian republican Senate majority. Jimmy writes to Caesar Trunzo (named, presumably, after Julius, and perhaps born during the latter's first term in office as Consul of Rome), calling for Trunzo to dump Joe Bruno:

Senator Trunzo:

I am writing to ask that you vote to replace Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno with a new Temporary Senate President until Mr. Bruno's FBI investigation is resolved.

I understand your friendship and working relationship with Mr. Bruno. At the same time, the interest of our state's residents and a commitment to good government is what takes priority.

It should go without saying that someone is innocent until proven guilty. Yet the appearance of impropriety that an FBI investigation raises about one of our state's top elected officials cannot be taken lightly. It is not unreasonable, or for that matter unfair to Mr. Bruno, to ask that a new leader is elected until this matter is resolved.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Dahroug

To pick up some balls played by Gatemouth, I'm just now noticing that the Working Families Party is running its own candidate in a state Senate race that is one of the top pick-up opportunities this year. The race in question is in SD-3, Suffolk, pitting a young, fresh-faced Democrat, Jimmy Dahroug, 28 27, against antediluvian republican Caesar Trunzo, 78 80.

The WFP endorsed one David Ochoa, after he won its primary and thus its ballot line; however, Ochoa was simultaneously defeated in the Democratic primary by Dahroug, who had run in 2004 (full disclosure: my organization, New Democratic Majority, supported Dahroug in 2004 and again this year).

The truly unfortunate thing is that the presence of two Progressive candidates on the ballot makes toppling Trunzo more difficult. It's also not helpful, as the WFP blog makes clear, that their advertising in the district urges voters to vote their ballot line.

The strategic implications of this divided ballot become clearer if you take a look at the broader battlefield. The party establishment's rallying cry on the Senate all this year has been "2008! 2008!", but with strong challengers coming out of the woodwork everywhere, it's not as unlikely as the kommentariat seems to think that the Senate could flip on November 7th. We need four seats to take control, and there are more than four serious challengers: Dahroug, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Matt Titone, Brian Keeler, Brooke Ellison come to mind, with newcomers Leslie Bielanski and Odelia Goldberg rounding out the pack.

I have a very soft spot in my heart for the WFP, but they should give some major thought to what it is that they're doing out in Suffolk. It won't engender any goodwill if they turn out to be the stumbling block for a Democratic Senate. How about an Ochoa endorsement of Dahroug?

[Update]: A commenter thinks Ochoa may have says Ochoa has endorsed Dahroug.

[Update 2]: From the comments: WFP is urging a vote for Dahroug, as per the WFP blog. Excellent work.

Take a closer look at this invite for State Senate candidate Jimmy Dahroug. Jimmy is a true grassroots candidate, endorsed inter alia by NDM, DFA, DFNYC, and a whole host of labor unions, running against an ancient republican incumbent, Caesar Trunzo. The latter has held the seat representing the Third Senate district since what eems like the dawn of time.

What's interesting about his campaign is this: the entire Democratic establishment has now closed ranks behind the insurgent. As host committees go, that's pretty impressive.

Say what you will about New York Democrats: this is a real example of the party embracing the grassroots. I am truly impressed.