Gibson takes lead in NY-20

This from the Associated Press this morning:

A new poll shows Democratic Rep. Scott Murphy trailing Republican rival Chris Gibson by nine points in the Albany-area 20th Congressional district.

A Siena Research Institute survey of likely voters released Tuesday finds Gibson leading Murphy by a 51-42% margin.

It's a big shift from a Siena poll last month, which found Murphy leading by 17%age points.

Irish American Republicans endorse Doheny

Watertown banker and GOP candidate for New York's 23rd Congressional District Matt Doheny picked up another endorsement today.

His campaign spokesperson, Alison Power, called it "the best endorsement ever."

Here's the release:

The candidacy of Matt Doheny for New York's 23rd Congressional District seat has been endorsed by the Irish American Republicans, a coalition of Irish Americans founded in 1868 and dubbed by Sean Hannity "the GOP's Delta Force."

State sets minimum price for Camp Gabriels

The state Office of General Services announced Monday that it will conduct a sealed bid auction for the former Camp Gabriels Correctional Facility next month.

Carla Chiaro is acting commissioner of OGS. She says the state will auction the former minimum security prison – located off state Route 86 in the Franklin County town of Brighton – on Wednesday, Nov. 17.

The state has set the minimum bid at $950,000 and bids are due to the Office of General Services no later than 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16.

Candidates comment on Siena Poll

Okay, I just got comment from Congressman Bill Owens and his GOP challenger Matt Doheny regarding the Siena poll. For once, both men agree; polls aren't worth looking at.

Here they are.

Owens:
“The campaign strategy remains the same – we’re out talking to people. Most importantly, we’re listening to them. They talk to me about jobs, the debt and deficit and milk prices,” he said. “Those are the themes that are there all of the time and they aren’t changing. It hasn’t changed since I started running last August. That’s what I’m focusing on.”

He continued,

“I voted against raising the debt ceiling twice. I have submitted my own bill – the war on debt – trying to get people focused on how we’re going to pay-down the debt,” he said. “I’ve been offering solutions to the problems. That’s what I think my role is. It’s to come up with solutions and put them on the table to discuss.”

And Doheny:
“Three days before the Republican primary they had Lazio and Paladino in a dead heat. Paladino won by 25 points in that race,” he said. “We understand where the polling is going and we feel very good that when people think about voting for Bill Owens and realize it’s a vote for Nancy Pelosi, we will be quite happy with the results.”

Take that statistics nerds. So much for your complicated reduction algorithms and z scores... Score one for the anti-bell curve crowd...... Snap!

Siena Poll: Owens leads Doheny, Hoffman still a major player

Even though he is no longer actively in the race for New York’s 23rd Congressional seat, Conservative Doug Hoffman remains a key player in the outcome, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Siena Research Institute.

The poll sampled 607 likely voters in the district and found that if voters are aware that Hoffman has suspended his campaign, Democratic incumbent Bill Owens clings to a slim 44 to 39 percent lead over Republican Matt Doheny – just one point from being within the standard error. But if voters aren’t told of Hoffman’s post-primary concession, the Democratic incumbent’s lead balloons to 11 percent.

Romney endorses Doheny...

Just days after receiving the endorsement of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Watertown banker gets another high-powered endorsement, this time from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Doheny is running against incumbent Democrat Bill Owens in New York's 23rd Congressional District.

Reports: Hevesi to plead guilty

The Associated Press reports this morning that former New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi will enter a guilty plea on charges of felony corruption.

Hevesi apparently turned himself in to law enforcement officials early this morning.

The former comptroller was replaced by Thomas DiNapoli after being accused of engaging in a pay-to-play scandal involving New York's pension fund. The Democrat resigned in 2006.

Doheny reacts to Hoffman's decision...

This is hot off the presses from Matt Doheny's campaign, sent to me by his campaign spokeswoman Alison Power:

"Doug Hoffman deserves a round of applause from everyone across the 23rd who want to see this Congressional seat back in conservative, Republican hands. And he deserves a round of applause from the voters across this nation who will bring fiscal sanity back to Washington, D.C. by electing a Republican House majority in November.

"I thank Doug for carrying the conservative torch in the 23rd, and am deeply appreciative that today he has passed that torch to me. I welcome his support and will continue to work to gain the support of the many voters in the 23rd Congressional District who believed in Doug and his message.

Hoffman bows out...

Adirondack Daily Enterprise staff writer Nathan Brown reports this morning that Saranac Lake accountant Doug Hoffman is dropping his Conservative Party bid for New York's 23rd Congressional District.

Here's the official statement, posted at the Watertown Daily Times website:

“I entered the 23rd Congressional District race for the good of our nation and to represent the common sense beliefs and values of the voters of upstate New York. Our nation is at a crossroads and it is imperative that on Election Day we wrest control of Congress from Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat majority.