State Republican Chairman Ed Cox was confident Sen. Stephen Saland of Poughkeepsie would squeak by his GOP primary opponent Neil Di Carlo, he told Fred Dikcer on Talk-1300.

Indeed, Cox reiterated much of what we’ve heard from state Republicans here in Albany, namely that Saland has conducted a solid absentee ballot program and should be OK during that count.

But when it comes to backing up Sen. Roy McDonald, Cox hedged.

“Kathy Marchione has been a very good county clerk in Saratoga County,” he said of McDonald’s primary opponent in the race. “She will do very well if she pulls it off against McDonald.”

As Liz noted this morning on her interview last night with Deputy Senate Majority Leader Tom Libous, Republicans have been bullish on keeping Saland. He is up by only 42 votes, while McDonald has a deficit of more than 100.

Both Saland and McDonald were among the four GOP senators to back the same-sex marriage law last year. Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, won his primary by 20 percentage points.

Neither gap is insurmountable for either Di Carlo or McDonald to erase as the count turns to the paper absentee ballots.

But there is an underlying concern that should Saland lose, Republicans could have to play defense in what was once considered a safe seat.

Marchione, meanwhile, is running in a Republican district against Democrat Robin Andrews, whose campaign hasn’t garnered much attention.

Republicans, meanwhile, are excited about the prospect of flipping several House seats, including the NY-1 on eastern Long Island, and others in the North Country and western New York.

Still, the polling has given them mixed results, with Rep. Tim Bishop leading the GOP’s Randy Altschuler and Democratic Rep. Bill Owens holding up against Matt Doheny (Other races show better news for Republicans, including todays’ poll in the Rep. Nan Hayworth versus Sean Patrick Maloney district, though that lead may evaporate).

Cox was excited about the GOTV project that’s being coordinated by the national Republican apparatus (a similar line he told me back in August at the convention in Tampa).

“Your going to see those races tightening,” Cox told Dicker. “I believe our GOTV campaign which is backed by the national committee, the RNC … it’s going to make the difference in those races where we have incumbents like Nan Hayworth ahead or Matt Doheny and Altschuler behind, believe me you’re going to see those races tightening.”

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