Challenger

I recently had the opportunity to meet John Chromczak, a 37-year-old Republican who is running for the New York State Senate from the Empire State's 25th senatorial district. As you can see from the map above, the 25th includes southern Manhattan and part of western Brooklyn.

I give John a lot of credit -- he's running against a voter registration disadvantage several times greater than anything I faced during my State House races in Western Pennsylvania.

But, John strikes me as the find of guy up to a challenge. He currently works at New York University Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital as a medical technologist specializing in red cell and bleeding disorders.

John's race was featured yesterday in an article in The Observer-Dispatch of Utica, his hometown in Upstate New York.

The article has an error, however. It presumes that John will face off this November against longtime State Senator Marty Connor. But, before that can happen, Connor has to first beat his primary opponent, Daniel Squadron, a young Democrat with the support of U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.