Elections 2006.(NEWS)

RACES WORTH WATCHING THIS YEAR:

NEW JERSEY: This could be the race that keeps Congress in Republican hold, according to the Washington Post. Cuban American Bob Menendez (D) might lose the Senate seat to Tom Kean Jr. (R) because of corruption in the Garden State's Democratic party.

OHIO: The governor's race might go Republican--to Ohio's Black Secretary of State, Kenneth Blackwell. Many pundits believe that Blackwell, who is anti-choice and anti-gay marriage, handed the state to Bush in the 2004 presidential race.

NEW YORK: In Brooklyn, several Black candidates are running against a white city councilman for the House seat in District 11. As we went to print, Assemblyman N. Nick Perry, who is Black, dropped out of the race. He told reporters that he wanted to minimize any splitting of the Black vote, which could give a win to David Yassky, who is white. This seat has historical significance--it was held by Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress.

ILLINOIS: Congressional House District 10 has been traditionally Republican, but in 2004, voters elected Sen. Barack Obama (D). So Dan Seals (D), another handsome Black candidate, might have more than a fighting chance against incumbent Rep. Mark Kirk (R). Seals is running among mostly white voters and pandering pro-Israel talk to his Jewish voters.

LOUISIANA: In the greater New Orleans area, a battle is set to play out between Charlie Melancon (D), who won the Congressional House seat in District 3 two years ago with just a 569-vote margin, and Craig Romero (R). Both candidates are anti-choice, anti-gun control and anti-gay marriage. Romero's campaign staff refused to answer questions about his racial background, saying that "it's not a crux of his campaign" and hasn't been discussed. But he's not always so shy about discussing race--his campaign information packet emphasizes that District 3 could swing Republican now that many Black voters are gone.

NOT CLOSE, BUT INTERESTING: