The GOP's prospects for holding onto a key House seat in New York -- once practically assured in their Staten Island stronghold -- have rapidly gotten bleaker and bleaker, to the point where the seat could be on its way to the Democrats.

After wealthy GOP candidate Frank Powers -- who wasn't even the party's first choice to begin with -- tragically passed away over the weekend, the party has had to go hunting for a new one. But one potential candidate after another has bailed. They include a local TV newscaster, multiple state legislators, a local D.A., and at least half a dozen others -- to a person, they've all said, Thanks but no thanks.

"It's a crazy situation," said former Rep. Guy Molinari, the unofficial leader of the Staten Island GOP, in a phone interview with Election Central.

"We have an open seat, a seat held by Republicans for 28 years," Molinari said. "And somewhat discouraging, we have not been able to field a candidate that can go out there and win."

Molinari told us that local party leaders and prospective candidates will be meeting tonight or possibly tomorrow night with still other potential candidates to see if someone, anyone, will run against expected Democratic nominee Michael McMahon or his primary challenger Steve Harrison.

Good luck.