The Boston Globe is reporting today that Ralph Martin will not run for mayor next year, and the story by Stephanie Ebbert and Sacha Pfeiffer ends with a quote that pretty much says that holding an election in 2008 will be a waste of time and money:

“Mayor Menino is invincible at this point,” said Jeffrey Berry, a professor of political science at Tufts University. “There is no candidate on the horizon who can effectively challenge him.”

In other election news today, the residents of Ypsilanti, Michigan, and environs were no doubt heartened to learn that, though the local economy may be tanking, at least they’ll be represented by a champion in Congress, John Dingell:

The Dearborn Democrat, who took over the office held by his father in 1955, is set to become the longest-serving member of the House ever on Feb. 14, 2009. He would pass Jamie Whitten, the late Mississippi congressman who holds the House record with 53 years, 2 months and 13 days.

Inexplicably, the Detroit Free Press doesn’t mention an even more amazing fact, which is pointed out by Governing.com’s Alan Greenblatt:

His dad, John Sr. had represented the district before him for 22 years — meaning father and son have held the same seat since 1933.