Democrat Kathy Hochul has upset Republican Jane Corwin in a special election to fill the seat of former Rep. Chris Lee, R-N.Y., in a race that became something of a referendum on the GOP budget plan that revamps Medicare.
With 74 percent of precincts reporting, the AP called the race for Hochul. Hochul has tallied 48 percent of the vote to Corwin's 42 percent. Independent candidate Jack Davis is winning eight percent, running on a third party line.
With 74 percent of precincts reporting, the AP called the race for Hochul. Hochul has tallied 48 percent of the vote to Corwin's 42 percent. Independent candidate Jack Davis is winning eight percent, running on a third party line.
The race to replace Lee, who resigned in February after a gossip site reported the married congressman had replied to a Craigslist personal ad, wasn't supposed to be competitive. Republicans hold a significant registration edge in the district. But the race tightened after Hochul attacked Corwin for supporting Republican-backed entitlement reforms and made it the centerpiece of her campaign.
Democrats immediately touted Hochul's win as evidence of the unpopularity of Rep. Paul Ryan's budget. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel took to MSNBC to list their reasons for the victory - "Medicare, Medicare, Medicare."
"Today, the Republican plan to end Medicare cost Republicans $3.4 million and a seat in Congress. And this is only the first seat, "Israel said in a statement. "We served notice to the Republicans that we will fight them anywhere in America when it comes to defending and strengthening Medicare." "Kathy Hochul's victory tonight is a tribute to Democrats' commitment to preserve and strengthen Medicare, create jobs, and grow our economy. And it sends a clear message that will echo nationwide: Republicans will be held accountable for their vote to end Medicare. Republicans have pointed to the presence of Davis as the reason for an artificially close race, saying the two-time Democratic nominee for the seat was taking GOP votes from Corwin. But the final Siena survey of the race showed that while Davis' numbers had plummeted in the past month, those voters weren't moving uniformly to the Corwin camp, and instead he was still drawing votes from both parties. "History shows one important fact: the results of competitive special elections from Hawaii to New York are poor indicators of broader trends or future general election outcomes," said National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Pete Sessions in a statement. "If special elections were an early warning system, they sure failed to alert the Democrats of the political tsunami that flooded their ranks in 2010." But House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who Republicans used to attack Hochul in campaign ads, said Corwin's loss would have greater resonance in other districts for GOP candidates. "Kathy Hochul's victory tonight is a tribute to Democrats' commitment to preserve and strengthen Medicare, create jobs, and grow our economy," Pelosi said in a statement. "And it sends a clear message that will echo nationwide: Republicans will be held accountable for their vote to end Medicare." Even President Obama weighed in on Hochul's victory, saying "Kathy has shown, through her victory and throughout her career, that she will fight for the families and businesses in western New York, and I look forward to working with her when she gets to Washington." Outside groups poured millions of dollars into the special election, with both sides accusing each other of supporting cuts to Medicare. The conservative American Crossroads spent almost $700,000 hitting both Davis and Hochul. The National Republican Congressional Committee spent over $400,000 to boost Corwin, who had already put more than $2.7 million of her own money in her campaign coffers. Two Tea Party-aligned groups, the Tea Party Express and FreedomWorks both endorsed and aided Corwin. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent more than $266,000 in ads attacking Corwin and Davis, while the newly-formed House Majority PAC, a liberal counter to Crossroads, spent $371,000 to hammer Corwin over the Ryan budget. In a statement after the results, American Crossroads presidentSteven Law acknowledged this race should be a wake-up call for the GOP. "The debate over whether Medicare mattered more than a third-party candidate who split the Republican vote is mostly a partisan Rorschach Test," Crossroads president Steven Law said in a statement. "What is clear is that this election is a wake-up call for anyone who thinks that 2012 will be just like 2010. It's going to be a tougher environment, Democrats will be more competitive, and we need to play at the top of our game to win big next year." While the GOP has publicly been reluctant to attribute the Ryan budget to their performance here, Republican strategists say the result is likely to cause them to reevaluate the plan - or at minimum, the way they're explaining the changes to voters. "Republicans need to get out of their defensive crouch on this issue," said one senior GOP strategist. "It gives us time to have a wake up call....It gives us time to understand what to message on Medicare."
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/hotlineoncall/2011/05/hochul-upsets-corwin-in-ny-26-24
Democrats immediately touted Hochul's win as evidence of the unpopularity of Rep. Paul Ryan's budget. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel took to MSNBC to list their reasons for the victory - "Medicare, Medicare, Medicare."
"Today, the Republican plan to end Medicare cost Republicans $3.4 million and a seat in Congress. And this is only the first seat, "Israel said in a statement. "We served notice to the Republicans that we will fight them anywhere in America when it comes to defending and strengthening Medicare." "Kathy Hochul's victory tonight is a tribute to Democrats' commitment to preserve and strengthen Medicare, create jobs, and grow our economy. And it sends a clear message that will echo nationwide: Republicans will be held accountable for their vote to end Medicare. Republicans have pointed to the presence of Davis as the reason for an artificially close race, saying the two-time Democratic nominee for the seat was taking GOP votes from Corwin. But the final Siena survey of the race showed that while Davis' numbers had plummeted in the past month, those voters weren't moving uniformly to the Corwin camp, and instead he was still drawing votes from both parties. "History shows one important fact: the results of competitive special elections from Hawaii to New York are poor indicators of broader trends or future general election outcomes," said National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Pete Sessions in a statement. "If special elections were an early warning system, they sure failed to alert the Democrats of the political tsunami that flooded their ranks in 2010." But House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who Republicans used to attack Hochul in campaign ads, said Corwin's loss would have greater resonance in other districts for GOP candidates. "Kathy Hochul's victory tonight is a tribute to Democrats' commitment to preserve and strengthen Medicare, create jobs, and grow our economy," Pelosi said in a statement. "And it sends a clear message that will echo nationwide: Republicans will be held accountable for their vote to end Medicare." Even President Obama weighed in on Hochul's victory, saying "Kathy has shown, through her victory and throughout her career, that she will fight for the families and businesses in western New York, and I look forward to working with her when she gets to Washington." Outside groups poured millions of dollars into the special election, with both sides accusing each other of supporting cuts to Medicare. The conservative American Crossroads spent almost $700,000 hitting both Davis and Hochul. The National Republican Congressional Committee spent over $400,000 to boost Corwin, who had already put more than $2.7 million of her own money in her campaign coffers. Two Tea Party-aligned groups, the Tea Party Express and FreedomWorks both endorsed and aided Corwin. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent more than $266,000 in ads attacking Corwin and Davis, while the newly-formed House Majority PAC, a liberal counter to Crossroads, spent $371,000 to hammer Corwin over the Ryan budget. In a statement after the results, American Crossroads presidentSteven Law acknowledged this race should be a wake-up call for the GOP. "The debate over whether Medicare mattered more than a third-party candidate who split the Republican vote is mostly a partisan Rorschach Test," Crossroads president Steven Law said in a statement. "What is clear is that this election is a wake-up call for anyone who thinks that 2012 will be just like 2010. It's going to be a tougher environment, Democrats will be more competitive, and we need to play at the top of our game to win big next year." While the GOP has publicly been reluctant to attribute the Ryan budget to their performance here, Republican strategists say the result is likely to cause them to reevaluate the plan - or at minimum, the way they're explaining the changes to voters. "Republicans need to get out of their defensive crouch on this issue," said one senior GOP strategist. "It gives us time to have a wake up call....It gives us time to understand what to message on Medicare."
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/hotlineoncall/2011/05/hochul-upsets-corwin-in-ny-26-24