Democrats Open Purse Strings for a 2nd Upstate House Race

[KingFlorez]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/nyregion/15upstate.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

September 15, 2006

Democrats Open Purse Strings for a 2nd Upstate House Race

By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee plans to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into an advertising campaign trying to unseat John Sweeney, a Republican congressman from upstate New York, Democratic officials said on Thursday.

The move comes after some Democrats argued that national party leaders were making a mistake in New York, a heavily Democratic state, by failing to more aggressively support the woman challenging Mr. Sweeney, of the Albany area, and a handful of other candidates facing Republican incumbents.

Only a few months ago, Democrats predicted they would pick up as many as four seats, possibly even five, in New York’s Congressional delegation. But those hopes have dimmed, as Democratic candidates in New York have struggled to gain traction against Republican lawmakers, who seemed to benefit from district lines drawn to keep incumbents in power.

The shifting fortunes of New York Democrats seemed to be reflected in the decisions being made by national party strategists, who until now had set aside money for only one Congressional race in New York.

That race, in District 24 in the Utica area, is for the seat being vacated by Representative Sherwood L. Boehlert, one of the most liberal Republicans in Congress, who is retiring. Democrats believe the battle to replace him is their best shot at capturing a Republican seat in New York. The party needs 15 seats to take control of the House, and party leaders are turning their attention to the most competitive races, given their limited resources.

[FogerRox]

1. sounds like the deal 'between the DNC & the DCCC going into efect

[Tiggeroshii]

2. according to constituent dynamics, the dem is pollingahead in district 24.

[Nite Owl]

3. The poll that they mention:

But Republicans quickly questioned the move’s importance, noting that the House Democrats’ re-election committee had reserved advertising time only in the Albany area — and had not actually bought any time. Maureen O’Brien Donovan, a spokeswoman for the Sweeney campaign, said it amounted to a political feint intended to confer legitimacy to the campaign of Mr. Sweeney’s challenger, Kirsten Gillibrand, after a recent poll released by the Siena Research Institute showed Mr. Sweeney with a 19-point lead.

Sweeney's people fail to say that one third are undecided. After four terms how could people be that undecided about an incumbent unless they were not happy with him. There was another poll after this one that had Kirsten 9 pts behind and Sweeney below 50%. I'm happy that the DCCC has finally opened up the purse. We can win this one. A lot of people are quite unhappy with him, there have been scandals involving his drinking at frat parties (and a pic with someone smoking a joint), he's been seen in a strip joint and his son got off easy after he practically beat another kid to death at a party (he used his influence to get a different judge, a Republican judge). He was the leader of the little young republican nazi's that went to FL during the recount in '00. DeLay buddy too. We need to get this creep out!