Despite the fact that Staten Island's 24th Senate District has about 75,000 registered Democrats and 67,000 registered Republicans, a Republican has held the seat for over 50 years.
Republican incumbent www.lanzaforsenate.com Andrew Lanza, first elected to the seat in 2006, is running for re-election in the district. Two years ago, Lanza replaced John Marchi, another Republican, who had held the seat since 1957. Lanza won 60 percent of the vote in the 2006 election against his Democratic opponent.
This year, Lanza faces Democratic candidate Joseph J. Pancila. Pancila is active in the Democratic Party and a member of Staten Island Community Board 1.
Campaign contributions in this district are not as evenly distributed as registered voter totals. During the period leading up to the 32 Day Pre-General filing, Lanza took in $77,705 Lanza reporting a total on hand of $164,035. Pancila received $5,440 reports having $1,000 and has $2,144 on hand.
First elected to the Assembly in 1994, becoming its first Puerto Rican woman member, Carmen Arroyo had long been active in school issues in the Bronx. She also is the author of a book of poetry. Her daughter, Maria del Carmen Arroyo, serves on the City Council
In 2002, the Democratic primary in this district was so close -- Arroyo's opponent Pedro Gautier Espada got five more votes or than she did -- than a judge ordered a revote. Arroyo won that contest by 151 votes.
This time around her opponent is Conservative Frank Dellavalle. He ran for Congress in 2002 but got less than 10 percent of the vote against Jose Serrano. Little other information about him was available.
Campaign filings for Arroyo and Dellavalle were not available.
This is the third time that Democrat Michael Benedetto will face off against Republican Conservative Raymond Capone. Benedetto won the two previous encounters in this district in the northeast Bronx.
Benedetto, who was first elected in 2004, is a former teacher and political aide who founded the Bronx Times Reporter newspaper. Capone, who works for Verizon, is a Conservative Party activist making his fourth bid for the Assembly.
In his most recent campaign filing Benedetto showed $4,665 on hand. Capone had $1,825.