In New York State Assembly District 72 (upper Manhattan) there is a rather contentious race going on for the Democratic primary election next Tuesday. The incumbent, Adriano Espaillat, is being challenged by his former mentee Miguel Martinez, who has reached the end of his term limit as City Council Member.

Interesting things can be found in the duelling campaign mailers sent out by the two camps. I wonder if this speaks only to the politics of heavily Dominican (and Hillary-supporting) upper Manhattan or whether it's a sign of how NYC politics as a whole is tacking in 2008.

First mailings:
Miguel Martinez with double-fold flyer with prominently featured photo of Martinez and Hillary Clinton on the front. This is a real photo of the two of them at some event. Inside, he "will continue to deliver for our families".

Espaillat with double-fold flyer showcasing his work with tenants, and featuring interior photos of him with Charlie Rangel and David Patterson.

Second mailings: here it gets more interesting. These are after the convention.
Miguel Martinez with photo of Obama on the other side of the page, the text ending in "Miguel martinez has demonstrated his commitment to the values that unite us as Democrats," and the slogan "Remember every Vote Counts! Vote for Miguel Martinez".

Adriano Espaillat with a flyer headed, in big letters, DEMOCRATIC UNITY, and featuring a ring of photos of basically every major NY Democratic politician who has to do with this neighborhood from the District Leaders up to the Governor. (The flyer is to tout the number of endorsements he has received from some of these pols.)

What interests me is the language that they have and haven't picked up from the Presidential campaign, which I've bolded above, and how they use it.

(Another poster I saw today for challenger Martinez was headed "Change we can believe in." Hmm, where have I heard that before?)

What do other folks see in their local campaign literature?