New York, NY —

Today in Nassau County, a special election is underway to select a new state senator. At issue is whether the Democratic Party will gain another seat against the Republican majority. WNYC's Elaine Rivera reports.

In the 7th Senate District race, Republican County Clerk Maureen O'Connell faces off against Democratic County Legislator Craig Johnson in a special election. The heated race is for a vacancy created when Spitzer appointed State Senator Michael Balboni, a Republican, to head the state office of Homeland Security.

Spitzer has been campaigning for Johnson - an unusual move for a governor. That has prompted Republicans to throw a record amount of money into the race and bring in their own stars like Rudy Giuliani to campaign for O'Connell. An estimated $4 million is expected to be spent on the race. If the Democrats win, they are two senate seats away from obtaining the majority.

For WNYC, I'm Elaine Rivera.