This semester I have chosen to cover the 23rd congressional district of New York. The three candidates running for this spot in the House is Bill Owens, Doug Hoffman, and Matt Doherny. I believe this is an important race to cover because it looks to be a tight three-way race and is also going to be an interesting election since last year Bill Owens (current holder of the seat in the House for the 23rd congressional district of NY) got the seat in a special election. Therefore, this will be an important as well as an interesting race to cover throughout the semester.
Bill Owens is the Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and is running for re-election this November. On August 10, 2009, the Democratic Party of the 23rd congressional district of New York chose Owens to run in a special election to fill the House seat that previously belonged to Republican John McHugh, who resigned to take a position as Secretary of the Army. Since Owens was a registered independent at the time, he had to get all 11 signatures of the Democratic county chairs in the district to allow him to run as a Democrat.
In this 2009 special election, Owens faced Republican Scozzafava and Conservative Party of New York candidate accountant Doug Hoffman (since he lost the republican nomination to Scozzafava). Two months into the race, Scozzafava dropped out of the race due to insufficient funds as well as not doing so well in the polls (only holding 6% of the vote). After she dropped, Scozzafava showed her support for Owens by stating he was “an independent voice who will put New York first.” This remark put her at odds with the National Republican Committee, which had backed her prior to her withdrawal from the race. Even thought the race between Owens and Hoffman was a tight one, Owens prevailed on Election Day over his sole opponent by a margin of 48.3% to 46%. It will be interesting to see this semester how these previous opponents will do in the coming election as well as new contender Matt Doherny, but it is predicted to be a tight race.
Even though i'm not an expert on this district, i really thik that theres a good chance that owen will not be able to secure the seat again, simply because of how he got it in the first place. Not only was it a special election, but one of his opponents dropped out due to insufficient funds! and it's not like the final vote was a landslide or anything close to that. In my opinion he just got really really lucky, and unless the people felt that he did a really good job in his previous term, i don't think he has a good shot.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're covering this race, I followed the special election coverage in 2009 and I'm really curious about what the race will be like now, especially if Matt Doherny stays in the race until the end and we have a competitive three-way election this time.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I didn't know that Owens was a registered independent when he ran in 2009, that's pretty interesting! You've clearly done your homework, that's good information to have.
I think it was smart how you gave all of the background information regarding the candidates and the special election of 2009. That material is important because it is still relevant to the candidates of this election.
ReplyDeleteI also like how you used specific percentages and numbers to back up the statements that you made. By using numbers and referencing real facts it makes your argument sound much more professional and organized.
You did a great job of introducing your candidates and providing background information about your district. In my opinion the incumbent usually has a huge advantage but this race will be interesting to follow considering it includes both of the previous contenders. From what I've read so far I'd come to the conclusion that Owens will take this district!