Is it a race in the 24th CD?

Probably not.

Congressional Quarterly still rates freshman Democrat Mike Arcuri as the likely victor in a district that was once a Republican stronghold.

(The district includes a sliver of the North Country, with voters in the Old Forge area having a say in this race’s outcome.)

The lack of a strong counter-attack in the 24th CD has been seen as a symptom of the GOP’s malaise in upstate New York.

But there are some flutters of life in businessman Richard Hanna’s push. He’s donated more than $300,000 to his campaign and fund-raised another $236,000.

Still, Arcuri has almost twice as much cash-on-hand and Hanna comes very late to the game.

He’ll need a big push from the GOP’s two remaining icons, George Pataki and Rudy Giuliani, to stand a chance.

The danger for Republicans is that the Democratic brand could come to feel, well, sort of familiar in Upstate communities.

Which is dangerous. Without a landslide showing north and west of Albany, Republicans face an uphill battle claiming ANY statewide office.

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