| new york 23rd congressional district | virginia gov race | new york congressional districts | new york race | virginia governor race |

Many of you have followed the story of Bill Owens and Doug Hoffman, who are the nominees for the special Congressional election in NY District 23. What makes this especially interesting for Conservatives is that the original Republican nominee was Dede Scozzafava, who was no Republican at all really. She was actually farther left then the Democrat candidate. However, thanks to insider politics and having friends in high places, Scozzafava got the nomination over Doug Hoffman, who was the real conservative. So, Hoffman ran on the Conservative party. Even after the GOP spent a reported 900,000 to support Scozzafava the liberal Republican, Hoffman still led the polls amongst the GOP and eventually forced Scozzafava out of the race on Sunday, and then she promptly turned around and endorsed the Democrat yeah, she’s a Republican.

Excerpt Taken From http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=4944

Select an election cycle: 201020082006200420022000RaceAll CandidatesAmountRaisedSenateKirsten Gillibrand D 5,524,614Jonathan Tasini D 307,645Josh Futterman D 0Lumies J. Huff D 0SenateCharles E Schumer D 8,782,295District 01Timothy H Bishop D 564,866Randy Altschuler R 663,671George Demos R 0District 02Steve Israel D 1,041,904District 03Pete King R 469,180District 04Carolyn McCarthy D 525,096Frank Scaturro R 113,505District 05Gary Ackerman D 401,523District 06Gregory W Meeks D 351,166District 07Joseph Crowley D 711,290District 08Jerrold Nadler D 591,946Steven Ari-Z Leiner I 0District 09Anthony D Weiner D 370,095District 10Edolphus Towns D 562,552District 11Yvette D Clarke D 264,846District 12Nydia M Velazquez D 227,432Bruce Hirschfeld D 4,802District 13Michael E McMahon D 803,403Michael A. Allegretti R 189,398District 14Carolyn B Maloney D 1,360,835District 15Charles B Rangel D 1,492,079Vincent Scott Morgan D 0District 16Jose E Serrano D 105,849District 17Eliot L Engel D 217,879District 18Nita M Lowey D 508,996District 19John Hall D 424,522Greg Ball R 378,334Nan Hayworth R 318,246District 20Scott Murphy D 2,855,037District 21Paul Tonko D 171,605District 22Maurice Hinchey D 181,221District 23Bill Owens D 503,296Doug Hoffman 3 307,888Dierdre K. Scozzafava R 250,205District 24Michael Arcuri D 594,362District 25Dan Maffei D 1,145,805District 26Christopher J Lee R 619,068District 27Brian M Higgins D 528,860District 28Louise M Slaughter D 208,201District 29Eric Massa D 804,618Tom Reed R 143,491 Incumbent

Excerpt Taken From http://www.opensecrets.org/races/election.php?state=NY

Main events scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5 AP NewsAlert Voters in NC’s largest city elect Democratic mayor Gay-marriage vote is too close to call in Maine GOP wins Va. gov race a year after Obama won state US envoys in historic meeting with Myanmar PM GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJ Republican Christie wins New Jersey race: report Ex-company exec gets suspended term for falsely labeling eel products Christie took a winding route to NJ governor post Republican Christie captures NJ governor’s seat IEA to cut long-term oil demand outlook next week: report GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJ China bureaucratic war over online Warcraft heats up Police: 3 ND college students found dead in pond Dem in northern NY House race has early lead Republican Christie captures NJ governor’s race Key 10-year JGB yield falls in morning before U.S. Fed statement AP NewsAlert GOP sweep: Big governorship wins in Virginia, NJ

Polls open Tuesday in upstate New York for a Congressional special election putting President Barack Obama’s economic recovery policies to their first electoral test. The candidates battling in the 20th Congressional District in the mostly rural north of the state are almost neck and neck, with Democrat Scott Murphy a fraction ahead of Republican Jim Tedisco, according to one poll. The result will make no difference to the balance of power in the House of Representatives in Washington, where Democrats enjoy a big majority. But the race is the focus of national attention as the first voter verdict on Obama’s attempts to pull the country out of financial crisis and recession. “It’s the first early public referendum on the Obama presidency,” said Richard Himelfarb, politics professor at Hofstra University. The most contentious debate in the contest has been over Obama’s stimulus plan. Murphy, a businessman and political newcomer, secured Obama’s endorsement last week when he was named the man who can “turn the economy around and create jobs.” He has also been praised by Vice President Joe Biden for supporting the White House economic agenda. Obama on Monday signed an email message sent to supporters in and around the district. “With Scott in Congress, we’ll work together to bring about solutions to our economic challenges and create new jobs in upstate New York and across the country,” Obama wrote. “Scott understands the potential we have to rebuild our economy and create a new foundation for prosperity. That’s the kind of partner I need in Washington. Please look up your polling place and vote tomorrow.” The Democratic National Committee has also released an advertisement featuring Obama’s image that trumpets his support for Murphy’s candidacy. Tedisco, a veteran New York state politician, opposes the Obama administration’s economic strategy and has tried to turn Murphy’s backing for the stimulus package into a liability. “It is seen as a very early and tentative barometer of Barack Obama’s popularity … Either as some kind of endorsement of Obama’s policies or the beginning of opposition,” Himelfarb told AFP. The vacant seat was previously held by a Democrat, Kirsten Gillibrand, who now occupies the Senate seat left vacant by Hillary Clinton when she became secretary of state. But the rugged district of forests and mountains was historically Republican territory and new party chairman Michael Steele has made winning back the seat a priority. A win there, Republican strategists said, would demonstrate wider dissatisfaction with Obama’s efforts and spur the party to success in nationwide Congressional elections next year. Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani said a Tedisco victory would “send a message that the whole Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi program has gone too far and that we need to put some kind of responsible brake on it.” “Law and Order” television series actor and former Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said the election would amount to a “repudiation” of Obama. Tedisco seemed on course a month ago when he was 12 points ahead in polls. But Murphy has roared back and according to a poll by Siena College, he leads by 47 to 43 percent, just outside the 3.2 percent margin of error. The biggest factor could be turnout, which is typically very low in special by-elections, something favoring the generally older Republican electorate. According to Himelfarb, that means the pressure is on Tedisco to win. “If Republicans can’t win in this district it bodes poorly for stopping Obama’s political agenda,” he said.

BIG HOLLYWOODLATEST VIDEOTOP NEWS&bullNewsBusters: NewsBusted: How Big is the Health Care Bill52 minutes ago&bullMichael Yon: Great Britain Loses One of its Finest2 hours ago&bullS.T. Karnick: New PBS Doc Embraces Big Govt, Criticizes Individual Freedom5 hours ago&bullAdam Baldwin: Sesame Street: All Monsters Are Equal7 hours ago&bullBig Hollywood: Chicago Tribune: ABCs V Takes Aim at ObamaMania9 hours ago&bullBig Hollywood: Ted Danson Trashes Limbaugh, Religious Right10 hours ago&bullJohn Nolte: Christ Gets Pissed On, Muhammad Gets a 150 Million Biopic11 hours agoBIG HOLLYWOODLATEST VIDEOTOP NEWS&bull Olbermann to Beck: Go to Hell1 hour ago&bull New ABC Show V Takes Aim at Obamamania1 hour ago&bull Do You Hear Shep: Audio Glitch Enlivens Fox News Broadcast1 hour ago&bull New Book on Palin Claims McCain Team Turned Off Lights to Keep Her Silent3 hours ago&bull My Eyes Were Red: NYC TV News Anchor Admits Drinking Before Broadcasts4 hours ago&bull Diane Sawyer Hits Gore on Profits From Global Warming6 hours ago&bull Absentee Ballot Surge Raises Red Flags in New Jersey8 hours agoBIG HOLLYWOODLATEST VIDEOTOP NEWS&bull House GOP pens 230-page health bill drafta few minutes ago AP&bull Democrat has early lead in northern NY House racea few minutes ago AP&bull Dem in northern NY House race has early leada few minutes ago AP&bull Putin tells Russian filmmakers to conquer foreign marketa few minutes ago AFP&bull NKorea claims to expand arsenal of atomic bombsa few minutes ago AP&bull GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJa few minutes ago AP&bull GOP sweep: Big governorship wins in Virginia, NJa few minutes ago AP

Excerpt Taken From http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.dd4a1a7822e06c597acb42c882995f1d.1b1&show_article=1

1811  1844  1846  1847-J  1847  1848  1849  1850  1851  1852  1853  1854  1855  1856  1857  1858  1859  1860  1861  1862  1863  1864  1865  1866  1867  1868  1869  1870  1870J  1871  1872  1873  1874  1875  1876  1877  1878  1879  1880  1881  1882  1883  1884  1885  1886  1887  1888  1889  1890  1891  1892  1893  1894  1895  1896  1897  1898  1900  1902  1903  1904  1906  1907  1908  1910  1912  1913  1914  1916  1917  1918  1920  1921  1922  1923  1924  1926  1927  1928  1930  1932  1933  1934  1936  1937  1938  1939  1940  1942  1943  1944  1946  1949  1950  1952  1953  1954  1956  1958  1959  1960  1962  1963  1964  1965  1966  1967  1968  1969  1970  1972  1973  1974 

Strategists from both parties viewed the results of the race as a referendum on President Obama’s handling of the economy. The Republican leadership made this race a top priority, as RNC Chairman Michael Steele, former Governor George Pataki, House Minority Leader John Boehner, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich helped Tedisco with fundraising. Steele visited the district twice.32 On the Democratic side, Senator Gillibrand has appeared in commercials and robocalls for Murphy and Senator Chuck Schumer helped the campaign with fundraising.32 Just under a week prior to the election, President Obama formally endorsed Murphy in a mass email to supporters33 and urged supporters to organize and vote for Murphy.34 A radio ad Vice President Joe Biden recorded for Murphy was released on 25 March. The same day, Democratic National Committee RNC Chairman Tim Kaine emailed 500 of the party’s top donors asking them to contribute to Murphy’s campaign.35

Each candidate aimed to discredit the other by pointing out flaws or mistakes relating to the competition. Republicans called attention to Murphy’s failure to pay taxes on a start-up computer software company he’d founded in the nineties, drawing comparison to three high-profile Obama administration nominees who failed to pay all of their taxes.40 Tedisco also called attention to Murphy’s failure to regularly vote in elections,41 after the National Republican Congressional Committee announced that Murphy had failed to vote in the 2000 presidential election, along with seven other primaries and general elections between 2000 and 2003.42 With his lead in the polls dwindling in March and believing the negative ads run by the National Republican Congressional Committee were responsible, Tedisco announced that he would take control of campaign advertising from the NRCC.43

All ballots, absentee ballot envelopes, and voting machines were impounded under a court injunction sought by state Republicans. Under the court order, absentee ballots were counted in central locations rather than individual precincts. The unwieldly precinct counting process has fueled much of the controversy plaguing the 2008 Minnesota Senate race recount.65 6,000 of the 10,000 ballots sent out were returned.62 Absentee ballots mailed within the United States had to be received by 7 April to be counted. The deadline for overseas including military ballots was extended to 13 April after the United States Department of Justice sued the state to ensure they would have a reasonable chance of being counted.66 Counting of absentee ballots due by 7 April began on 8 April under a New York State Supreme Court ruling sought by Murphy’s campaign.67 Delaware and Otsego counties began counting overseas and military ballots on 14 April. On 24 April, Murphy was ahead by 399 votes68 and Tedisco conceded on 24 April, making Murphy the winner.2 Murphy was sworn in on 29 April.69 The official results came out in May and have Murphy winning the election with 80,833 votes 50.23 against Tedisco’s 80,107 votes 49.77.1

Albuquerque, NM  Albany, NY   Allentown, PA  Anchorage, AK   Atlanta, GA   Atlantic City, NJ   Austin, TX   Boston, MA  Burlington, VT  Buffalo, NY  Charlotte, NC  Cincinnati, OH  Cleveland, OH  Detroit, MI  Flint, MI  Harrisburg, PA  Houston, TX  Jackson, MS   Jersey City, NJ  Lancaster, PA  Lansing, MI  Los Angeles, CA  Manchester, NH  Miami, FL  Minneapolis, MN  Montgomery, AL  New York, NY  Omaha, NE  Pittsburgh, PA  Rochester, NY  San Antonio, TX  San Diego, CA  Seattle, WA  St. Louis, MO  St. Paul, MN  St. Petersburg, FL  Syracuse, NY  Tulsa, OK

1789  1790  1792  1794  1796  1798  1800  1802  1804  1806  1808  1810  1812  1814  1816  1818  1822  1824  1826  1828  1830  1832  1834  1836  1838  1840  1842  1844  1846  1848  1850  1852  1854  1856  1858  1860  1862  1864  1866  1868  1870  1872  1874  1876  1878  1880  1882  1884  1886  1888  1890  1892  1894  1896  1898  1900  1902  1904  1906  1908  1910  1912  1914  1916  1918  1920  1922  1924  1926  1928  1930  1932  1934  1936  1938  1940  1942  1944  1946  1948  1950  1952  1954  1956  1958  1960  1962  1964  1966  1968  1970  1972  1974  1976  1978  1980  1982  1984  1986  1988  1990  1992  1994  1996  1998  2000  2002  2004  2006  2008  20th district, 2009  23rd district, 2009  2010  Special

Excerpt Taken From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%27s_20th_congressional_district_special_election,_2009

Political Hotsheet April 1, 2009 4:58 PM Winner Weeks Away In New York Congressional Race Font size Print E-mail Share 5 comments Posted by Steve Chaggaris AP Photo/Tim Roske The special election in New Yorks 20th Congressional district that was widely talked about as either a referendum on the Obama administration or the Republican Party has ended up in a virtual tie.Democrat Scott Murphy currently holds a 25 vote lead over Republican Jim Tedisco, according to the AP, and as voters in the Albany-area district wait for absentee ballots to be counted, everyone seems to be spinning away as to who will prevail and what the current non-outcome means.Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told reporters this afternoon that hes happy theyre where they are, citing Murphy being an unknown to voters and pointing to a Republican poll in February that showed Murphy down 21 points to Tedisco. We think were doing well, especially given the fact that we were running against somebody, a very well-known quantity on the Republican side, Van Hollen said, adding, We started with someone with no political background whatsoever and we are ahead as of today.Cutting through the spin: The Democrats love to tout their successes in 2006 and 2008 in majority Republican House districts and in districts where John McCain won in 2008. So, what happened to Murphy considering his partys recent wins in GOP congressional districts NY-20 has 70,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats and the fact that Kirsten Gillibrand who vacated the seat when she was appointed to fill Hillary Clintons Senate seat in January won with 62 percent of the vote in November Meantime, the Republicans still feeling the sting of the lingering Minnesota Senate recount are aggressively digging in their heels.While the absentee and military vote count will not occur for several more days, we are confident that Jim Tedisco will ultimately become the next congressman from New Yorks 20th Congressional District, the National Republican Congressional Committee wrote in an e-mailed memo to reporters. They argue that a Tedisco win or even a virtual tie is a giant FAIL for the Democrats since the district has performed well for Democrats in recent elections: President Obama carried New Yorks 20th Congressional District less than 150 days ago. Cutting through the spin: So, what happened to Tedisco considering the district has signficantly more registered Republicans than Democrats, was held by the Republican Party for 28 years, and Tedisco, as the Republican Leader of the New York State Assembly, is well-known Both may argue being close is a win in itself – the Democrats because of the registration edge, the Republicans because this is a district that President Obama carried.And whatever the campaigns say about how this will turn out via the absentee votes, approach any predictions or declarations about what will happen with some caution. For instance: the New York State Board of Elections reports the party registration breakdowns of voters who got, and returned, absentee ballots in the NY 20th so far. There were more absentees mailed out to registered Republicans 4,473 than to registered Democrats 3,390 and 1,974 to other partisans or unaffiliated. As of late Wednesday, both registered Republicans and Democrats have been returning them at about the same rate, 65 for the former and 63 for the latter. And 47 of others have returned their ballots so far which is probably not surprising in an off-year special election. But all that may or may not be telling. Registration doesnt necessarily matter in outcomes: registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 70,000 voters, a Democrat has won this district twice in a row and President Obama carried it, too. Also, these absentee return rates can change by the day. Ballots can still arrive for another week and be accepted so long as they were postmarked by Monday, March 30th and military ballots have another two weeks to get in, so there are possibly thousands more still in the mail, en route, and they could reshape these tallies again.Another unknown when talking about the absentees: we wont know for a while which will ultimately be declared valid or not. All the absentees that come in are being held aside, impounded until April 6th.With that many variables in play plus the inevitable re-canvass of the in-person vote tallies in each precinct the only certainty here: a long wait. Tags: Tedisco , Murphy , Gillbrand , New York 20 , obama Topics: Congress

Add a Comment by sharednotion April 2, 2009 11:23 AM EDT It’s normal to be eager to learn the results of an election within a few hours after the polls close. But, in close races, we should be willing to be patient while waiting for absentee ballots & military ballots to be counted and added to the total. Those citizens’ votes are part of our democracy too, and if in some cases those votes tip the balance, then we should respect those new totals because EVERY citizen’s vote counts. Do you think that in the early history of our nation, people knew outcomes of elections right away Even the same night Even necessarily within a few days Democracy is worth waiting a while, when necessary, to GET IT RIGHT. Reply to this comment by craigh41 April 2, 2009 11:03 AM EDT NY 20 is OVERWHELMING Republican by a 3 to 1 margin. The towns that make up this strangely arranged district are ALL Republican and purposely avoid Democratic cities. This district was specifically design in order to ALWAYS provide a huge advantage to the Republican nominee.

The Republicans have to smile and say the right things, but the republicans should have won this election by 14 points or more based upon the factors listed above and the fact that they didn’t has completely shaken the party faithful. They certainly hope they win somehow because a seat is a seat – but they are painfully aware that even registered republicans don’t believe in the party and can no longer blindly support them. Reply to this comment by vincan-2009 April 1, 2009 11:57 PM EDT Why must these elections be such squeakers Looks like the Democrat has won this one too which is wonderful. Hopefully things will be sorted out quickly and not drag on like they have for Senator Elect Al Franken the most unfairly treated new senator. Reply to this comment by danthony930 April 1, 2009 9:51 PM EDT I disagree with the premise of the voting is against the President Obama administration. My belief is it is based on the New York governor’s administration. People need to stop blaming this administration’s policy for our economic problems. Let us remember which administration has been responsible for the neglect of our economy. I am an Independent voter making this comment. Reply to this comment by jessue April 1, 2009 6:45 PM EDT Here we go again The GOP will most likely use the courts to decide this race just as they did in Florida and Mininesota. Tsk Tsk Reply to this comment Add a comment Comment SUBMIT Click here to add another comment. The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited. By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement. Comment reply Submit Cancel The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited. By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement. Report offensive content: If you believe this comment is offensive or violates the CBSNews.com Terms of Use, you can report it below this will not automatically remove the comment. Once reported, our staff will be notified and the comment will be reviewed. Select type of offense: Offensive: Sexually explicit or offensive language Spam: Advertisements, commercial links, or repetitive posts Disruptive posting: Flaming or offending other users Illegal activities: Promote cracked software, or other illegal content Off-topic: Commentary unrelated to the storyline Comments optional: Report Cancel E-mail this comment to a friend. E-mail this to: Separate multiple e-mail addresses with commas. Limited to 10 addresses. Your e-mail address: Send me a copy of this message Note: Your e-mail address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the e-mail and in case of transmission error. Neither your address nor the recipients’s address will be used for any other purpose. Add your own personal message: Optional Hi, I found this user’s comment on CBSNews.com and thought you might be interested in reading it. Send e-mail Cancel

Excerpt Taken From http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/04/01/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4911185.shtml

Topic – New York Congressional Race