Long-term incumbent State Senator Martin Golden is being hard-pressed by solid efforts of mainstream Democratic candidate Andrew Gounardes

The Republican and Democratic County Chairpersons, Craig Eaton and Frank Seddio, were both “induh hauz” during the first Golden-Gounardes debate  –  maybe their presence signals that for the first time since he was elected to the state senate, ex-cop and caterer Martin Golden is facing a real Democratic Party challenge from Andrew Gounardes

All of the reports of the debate conducted at the Dyker Heights Civic Association indicate that the candidates were involved in a very spirited exchange, with each getting the upper hand at this, that and the other point of the back and forth. These are the posted news items that I’ve seen so far:
“Political debate signals hot senate race; Golden, Gounardes star in verbal slugfest” by Paula Katinas, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 11, 2012;  “STATE SEN. MARTY GOLDEN AND ANDREW GOUNARDES DEBATE BEFORE NOVEMBER ELECTION –  Gounardes slams Senator Golden — but Golden strikes back” by Will Bredderman, Courier Life’s Brooklyn Daily, October 11, 2012; “Video: Feisty Debate Between Marty Golden And Andrew Gounardes Touches On Guns, Equal Pay And Education” text by Ned Berke, with video [in both] Sheepshead Bites and Bensonhurst Bean, October 10, 2012; and “DYKER DUST-UP – Brooklyn Senate Candidates Square off in Contentious Debate”  [with same video as Bensonhurst Bean] by Colin Campbell, Politicker, October 10, 2012.

There also was pre-debate coverage on October 9, 2012 in the Citizen’s Union Gotham Gazette post “Election 2012: Golden, Gounardes to Debate for 22nd State Senate District Seat” by David Howard King.

It is already apparent that the level of campaigning by the Andrew Gounardes Campaign ( judged by fund raising, support by Democratic Clubs and party organizations, individual support and endorsements, mailers and distributed literature, and visible public support in the form of the widespread display of posters and lawn signs) seems to be well beyond the level that had been attained by the Democratic nominee for the State Senate against Martin Golden in 2010, Michael DiSanto. However, until this spate of debate coverage, the local newspaper and blog coverage of the 2012 race had lagged behind where it had been for the Golden-DiSanto race in 2010.