Special Election Ramps Up In New York

Democrat Bill Owens is the first candidate on the airwaves in New York’s special congressional election.

Expanding his name recognition is critical for the first-time candidate, who launched a television ad Sunday throughout the 23rd House District. .

Owens, a tax and business attorney, is a well-known figure in Plattsburgh, along New York’s eastern border, but he must hustle to build a base in the western part of the sprawling district, where his Republican rival, Dede Scozzafava, is strong.

Scozzafava is a six-term assemblywoman and former mayor of the village of Gouverneur. Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman also is running in the special election contest, which observers expect Gov. David A. Paterson to schedule to coincide with the regular Nov. 3 Election Day.

The seat officially became vacant Monday, when Republican Rep. John M. McHugh resigned to accept the post as Army Secretary in the Obama administration. McHugh was confirmed by the Senate last week.

Owens’ ad touts his military service as an Air Force captain and his record of job creation in upstate New York.

Republicans immediately questioned the 2,000 job number the ad says Owens has helped attract to the region, noting the campaign has previously said it created 500 jobs through an airbase redevelopment program. But Owens’ spokesman said the 2,000 figure referred to jobs created by Owens’ work over the course of his career, not just those related to the airbase in Plattsburgh.

A spokesman for Hoffman’s campaign said the conservative also has an impending announcement on an ad buy, slated for Monday or Tuesday. Scozzafava’s campaign Matt Burns told CQ Politics only that “paid media will play a significant role in our efforts to elect Dede.”

The three-way race began to heat up even before McHugh’s confirmation last week. The campaigns, now staffed up, are all on the attack, with Scozzafava, the perceived front-runner, taking fire from both the left and the right.

Scozzafava received a big boost last week when U.S. House Minority Leader John A. Boehner , R-Ohio, promised to help her obtain a seat on the Armed Services Committee, where McHugh was previously ranking member. The committee membership is an important asset in the district, which is home to Fort Drum, one of the largest and most modern Army facilities on the East Coast, and a sizable population of military veterans.

Registered Republican voters outnumber Democrats in the 23rd and McHugh never faced a close general election challenge. But district voters did give 52 percent of their 2008 presidential votes to President Obama — who carried New York by an overwhelming margin.
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