Last November, Republicans were at the top of their game nationwide, riding a groundswell of anger over the economy to historic gains.<\/p>\n
Here in New York, the bitterness was deepened by the state budget crisis.\u00a0 And for the Empire state’s GOP, the mood wasn’t just an opportunity, it was a life-line. Put simply, it was a do-or-die election.<\/p>\n
In recent years, the once-mighty New York Republicans had been stripped of nearly all their power.\u00a0 They didn’t hold a single statewide office.\u00a0 Their delegation in Washington had been devastated.<\/p>\n
The reasons for their political malaise might seem obvious.\u00a0 There are currently more than 5,800,000 enrolled Democrats<\/a> in the state.\u00a0 Republicans have fewer than 3,000,000 party members.<\/p>\n Even in former GOP bastions, including the North Country, Democrats were making big gains in enrollment, organization, and fundraising.<\/p>\n Still, after a hard-fought campaign, Republicans in the state Senate scored an apparent triumph, capturing 32 seats and a slim majority.\u00a0 They were back in the game.<\/p>\n Claiming a big moral victory, Republican leaders headed to Albany demanding a big say in the budget process, and an equal say in negotiations to draw new political boundaries following the 2010 Census.<\/p>\n But here’s the wrinkle.<\/p>\n In last year’s elections, Democratic candidates for state Senate actually won far more votes<\/a> — a nearly 100,000 vote advantage statewide.<\/p>\n To put that number in perspective, state Senator Betty Little from Queensbury won her uncontested race with 71,000 votes.<\/p>\n The reason Republicans can capture a majority of seats while losing the popular vote is that district lines have been drawn strategically over the years to favor the GOP.<\/p>\n Some cynics have called the state Senate a “Republican protection program.”<\/p>\n How does it work?\u00a0 It’s a little complicated, but the basic strategy is to draw the political boundaries so that fewer GOP votes are “wasted” in losing contests.<\/p>\n The impact can be plainly seen in last year’s outcome.\u00a0 In nineteen Senate races — a third of the contests statewide — the losing GOP candidate drew fewer than 10,000 Republican votes.<\/p>\n That’s a very efficient way to fail.\u00a0 It means far more of the GOP’s voting base was concentrated in districts where the party had a strong chance to prevail.<\/p>\n By contrast, Democrats lost just three races with fewer than 10,000 Democratic votes, and in all three cases it was because the Dems didn’t run a candidate.<\/p>\n That means far more of their defeats were costly ones, with heaps of Democratic votes cast in losing efforts.<\/p>\n This kind of gerrymandered approach to politics is a hugely effective, and it’s a time-honored tradition in New York state.<\/p>\n And it’s the reason that former New York City’ Mayor Ed Koch’s bid for a nonpartisan redistricting process is dead on arrival.<\/p>\n Yes, many Republicans campaigned on the idea that political lines should be drawn by some sort of independent, apolitical organization, with the goal of creating logical and fair Senate and Assembly districts.<\/p>\n But they’re already backing away from that idea.\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n