Race for Gillibrand's seat a 'battle royale'; GOP accuses Dem Candidate of Tax Evasion

[SuperTrouper]

Excerpt:

ALBANY — Republicans view the race to fill Kirsten Gillibrand's vacant congressional seat as a bellwether as they try to rebuild after last year's election losses.

Newly tapped national GOP chairman Michael Steele was in Albany on Wednesday to meet with the Republican candidate James Tedisco, the state's Assembly minority leader, and vowed the race will be "a battle royale."

Republicans came out swinging last week after Democrats tapped businessman Scott Murphy as its candidate, accusing him of not paying taxes on a company he owned — a charge Murphy denies.

The difficulty for Democrats to retain the seat is reportedly why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Washington party leaders sought to discourage Paterson from selecting Gillibrand as senator, which he did last month. Democrats hold 26 of the 29 House seats in New York.

The pressure, some Democratic officials said, is under way to have Paterson and Sen. Charles Schumer, who backed Gillibrand for the Senate seat, now raise money for the race.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090208/NEWS01/902080339/1002/RSS01
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In related news, Tedisco has a wide lead over Murphy, 50%-29%

In New York's open 20th Congressional District, Republican special election candidate Jim Tedisco holds a wide lead over Democratic candidate Scott Murphy, according to a poll conducted for Tedisco's campaign.

The Public Opinion Strategies poll, which surveyed 400 likely voters from Feb. 3-4 with a 4.9% margin of error, finds Tedisco leading 50%-29% against Murphy in a special election matchup. Although the poll was funded by Tedisco and therefore must be taken with a grain of salt, the tally is a drastic turn for the district that elected a Democrat in November by a 23-point margin.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/politics_nation/2009/02/poll_tedisco_murphy_ny20.html

[xchrom]

1. tax evasion -- the crime du jour. nt

[Titanothere]

2. Another brilliant selection n/t

[ClarkUSA]

3. Once again, NY Democrats snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. Thanks, Sen. Chucky Schumer!