If any of the Democrats in the race — Margaret Kelliher, Mark Dayton, or Matt Entenza — said something as blatantly wrong (not to mention nutty) as what Emmer’s been uttering, it would be described as such on the front page of both local papers and be a big story in local newscasts for weeks, and none of the Dems would have dared repeat it, even in front of a friendly group.

As political candidates of both major parties continue to underwhelm as potential “agents of change,” ballot initiatives grow more interesting. According to BallotPedia, 90 ballot questions have been certified for 2010 spots in 31 sates. They estimate that if 2010 is an average year, another 130-140 will ultimately qualify. What measures are making their way onto the ballot in your neck of the woods?

A couple weeks ago, I made the case that Texas Democrats should vote Hutchison in today’s Republican gubernatorial primary, and the latest Rasmussen poll offers more ammunition for that strategy.

Embattled New York Governor (I don’t know, “embattled” seems like the wrong word here, but I’ll press on. . . ) David Paterson will not run for election this fall, the New York Daily News is reporting. Paterson, long suffering from low approval ratings, an uncooperative State legislature, and a fiscal crisis, has been dogged this month by stories of questionable conduct by a close aide, David Johnson—and earlier this week, that story escalated to include the Governor, himself.

The governor has long been thought vulnerable to a primary challenge from State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, though Cuomo has not officially entered the race. Whispers around New York suspect that Cuomo or his close associates have something to do with driving the story of Paterson’s aide to the surface.