Can upstate Republicans still run against The City?

For decades, Upstate Republicans have based a big part of their message on opposition to New York City.

The GOP’s candidates still work hard to tie their Democratic opponents (be they Kirsten Gillibrand or Darrel Aubertine) to pols and party flacks from the Five Boroughs.

Republican challenger Sandy Treadwell has issued a flurry of press releases this fall linking Gillibrand to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel.

Rangel faces a slough of criticism for ethics lapses, from Republicans and independent editorial page writers, a fact that Treadwell’s campaign has tried to keep front and center.

Do voters in the 20th Congressional District care?

And does the old Upstate-Downstate rivalry still have the kind of edge that made the North Country a dependable power base for Republicans?

I think an argument can be made that the impact has been blunted.

Part of the problem may be the efforts made by downstate Republicans to build connections in the region. Governor David Paterson has drawn generally strong reviews in the region.

Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton have both worked to establish a presence here.

I’d argue that New York City also has a less toxic image, thanks (ironically) to a series of Republican mayors.

In the final equation, it’s hard to imagine that the GOP can rebuild its infrastructure around an anti-urban message — in one of the most urban- and suburban states in the nation.