A report from Thomas Kaplan at the New York Times details the tenacious ability of the Republican Party to keep their hands on the lever of power in New York State, in spite of being dramatically outnumbered by registered Democrats. While no Republican has been elected to a statewide office in a decade, they continue to have strong influence in Albany, thanks to a pragmatic alliance with the state’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo. But in regional and local races, the party appears in much better shape. New Yorkers elected six new Republicans to Congress in 2010, and the redistricting map put in place by a federal court — Albany lawmakers could not agree on one — is quite hospitable to the Republicans. They are also generally favored to retain their control of the State Senate, thanks to gerrymandering designed to protect their incumbents, a strong fund-raising advantage, and a Democratic minority tainted with a reputation for corruption and division. More details can be found online at The New York Times.