CapTon’s Kaitlyn Ross caught up at the Capitol yesterday with Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, who couldn’t quite contain his pleasure at the troubles besetting the Democrats on his native Long Island at a time when the battle for control of the chamber is heating up.

Skelos called the “domestic violence” charges against Dave Mejias, whom the Democrats had hoped would oust GOP Sen. Kemp Hannon and help grow their majority, “troublesome” and “unfortunate,” but also insisted that Sen. Hannon would have run on his own record.”

The senator also took the Democrats to task for what he called Regina Calcaterra’s “invalid candidacy” saying her residency issues should have prevented her from running against Sen. Ken LaValle and likely would have – had the majority done its “homework.”

“We’re going to bring balance back to government,” Skelos said. “Oh, I know we’re going to be in the majority. I don’t say that arrogantly, but I believe we’re going to come back with 34, 35 seats.”

That prediction did not sit well with Senate Democratic spokesman Austin Shafran, who accused the minority leader of “day-dreaming if he thinks New Yorkers are going to forget the higher taxes, lost jobs, and runaway spending that was a hallmark of the Republican years of dysfunction.”

“His claims about a Republican edge are laughable. Democrats are beating the GOP on fundraising by a margin of 2-1. We have twice as many challenges as the GOP, and a record number of women. Republicans are fighting each other in the districts where they claim they will be able to compete.”

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