National spotlight on NY-23
| The 23rd race is getting more national attention now: the National Republican Congressional Committee is taking a closer look at it. And the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has reserved more than $500,000 in airtime here, apparently. That was before Hoffman dropped out. Public Opinion Strategies did a poll about two weeks ago, before Doug Hoffman dropped out, showing Matt Doheny leading in a two-way race with incumbent Democrat Bill Owens 51-37. A memorandum says he “picks up fully 68 percent of Hoffman’s initial voters,” implying the pollsters also asked about a three-way race. None of the numbers they highlight in their “key findings” in the memo to NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions look great for Owens, but bear in mind this is only a memo and not the full poll. It was also done by a Republican polling firm. The Siena Research Institute is supposed to release a poll on the district next week. Owens’ campaign put out a statement yesterday blasting Doheny for his work in the restructuring of Pacific Gas and Electric. “As a result of Doheny’s efforts, Pacific Gas & Electric paid over $170 million dollars in bonuses to executives while customers were stuck with a utility bill that, on average, cost consumers $1,300 to $1,700 more than what they were already paying,” according to the statement. This is in a similar vein to an ad they released last week, attacking Doheny’s work restructuring Adelphia Communications. Doheny will not be at the Republican event in Malone today, I am told; he is attending a strategy session for New York Republican congressional candidates. The last link is to a column in the Green Bay Press Gazette, of all places, calling Hoffman an “unsung hero” for his work managing the finances of the 1980 Olympics. |