As you'll read in the paper today, area Democrats are all but certain that U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand is going to be named our next Senator at Governor David Paterson's press conference tomorrow.

As such, lots of people are setting themselves up to run for her seat in Congress, which will be filled by a special election. Commissioner of Public Safety Ron Kim put it in the plainest English, saying that he has already told Saratoga County Chairman Larry Bulman that he would like to run, should the vacancy occur.

Other names in the hat, Supervisor Joanne Yepsen and former Mayor Valerie Keehn, were less direct about their statements, but are clearly looking to set themselves for some kind of a run.

The question that I've got is a regional one. Thee 20th congressional district stretches from Lake Placid to Poughkeepsie, and there are lots of politicians inbetween. If all are as ambitious as the three named above, we could be looking at quite a mess, which the state committee will have to sort out.

Of course, I'm the city reporter, so I don't know too much about politics outside of the city, but if Democrats elsewhere are anything like Democrats here, we could very well see the blue party shoot itself in the foot while trying to settle on a nominee to run for the Congressional seat. Meanwhile, if the GOP can get itself together, they could very well have a shot at retaking what has traditionally been a Republican district.

And to think of all the millions spent just a few months ago on the the Gillibrand v. Treadwell race.