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Third-Party Candidate Gains Momentum as Election Day Nears

Plattsburgh, New York - November 2, 2009

     Vice President Joe Biden was stumping for Democrat Bill Owens in Watertown, New York, Monday, looking for votes from an unlikely group, Republicans.
     "I say to all those moderate Republicans, those decent-thinking folks who are pragmatic Republicans, join us," Biden said. "We welcome you. We welcome you."
     Owens is trying to become the first Democrat to represent the 23rd district in Congress in more than a hundred years. He got some unexpected support Sunday, the endorsement of Dede Scozzafava, a moderate, pro-choice Republican who dropped out of the race on Saturday.
     "This is a stunning race," said Howard Dean, former chair of the Democratic National Committee. "I was not surprised the Republican candidate dropped out but I was stunned she endorsed the Democrat. I wasn't prepared for that."
     Dean says Scozzafava's move is a sign the GOP is driving out moderate voices. He pointed out Scozzafava had been selected by Republican Party chairs in the district's eleven counties.
     "They run their own candidate, chosen by local people who know what they're doing, presumably, out of the race because she doesn't meet all of the right-wing litmus tests of the Republicans," Dean said. "I'm just stunned by the whole thing. You're looking at the destruction of the Republican Party right before your eyes."
     A poll released Monday by Siena College shows Conservative Doug Hoffman gaining momentum. He had trailed Owens throughout the race. But with Scozzafava now out, he is topping his competitors. Hoffman polled with 41% of the vote, compared to 36% for Owens and 6% for Scozzafava. 18% of those polled said they were undecided.
     "They're supporting him based on ideology rather than on his own record," said Professor Harvey Schantz, who has been teaching political science at Plattsburgh State University for 31 years. He says Hoffman's rise is a sign the local race has become a referendum on national issues.
     "I think it happened not because of the candidate but because of the issues he is said to personify," he said. "Conservatives around the country did not want to lose this district and they didn't want to win someone who they called a 'RINO,' a Republican In Name Only."
     Schantz says Hoffman has history on his side, the 23rd District has long been dominated by Conservatives.
     "In the last election, John McHugh, the Republican, received 65% of the vote," he noted. "It's very unlikely that a district that was 65% for one party would turn over one year later."
     That said, Schantz noted that the Siena College poll found broad support for President Obama. That could bode well for Owens.
     "Obama's approval in the district is 59 percent," he said, "so if it's couched as a referendum on the president, then there's hope."

Kate Duffy -- WCAX News