A real fight in the 20th

When I first came to the North Country ten years ago, Democrats simply couldn’t field A-list candidates for big races.

Their candidates were zealous and well-intentioned, but rarely posed much of a threat. The political season often began and ended with the Republican primary.

The Big Republican Wall began to crack with Hillary Clinton’s strong showing in the region in the 2000 Senate race.

Then came Darrel Aubertine, who claimed a victory in the River District Assembly seat in 2002.

A couple of years later, Kirsten Gillibrand shocked the Upstate political culture with her upset win over Republican John Sweeney.

Aubertine managed to claim and hold a state Senate seat in 2008, while Gillibrand won re-election handily.

Now, Democrats seem to have found their institutional legs, developing a real bench.

They have recruited Scott Murphy, a young businessman from Glens Falls, with an attractive family and authentic North Country ties.

(Gillibrand and Clinton were both vulnerable to the “carpetbagger” label.)

Murphy looks like a natural on the stump and he’s running in a season when Democrats still enjoy a cultural advantage.

I think this is still Jim Tedisco’s race to lose — he’s a veteran campaigner with an established war chest in a district with a 70,000 voter GOP advantage.

But it’s worth noting that this time it was the Republicans who went outside the district for their candidate, while Democrats found their talent right here at home.

Republican National GOP chairman Michael Steele predicted that this would be a “battle royale.”

I think he’s right. The Democrats have positioned themselves to make this a real fight.

Not so many years ago, that would have been unthinkable.