Republican Dede Scozzafava and Democrat Bill Owens are splitting the big newspaper endorsements in the NY-23 special election, which has become a three-way race due to the presence of Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman — who in turn is getting bad reviews in the press.
The Watertown Daily Times, the biggest paper int he district, is endorsing Scozzafava and scolding Hoffman:
Her answers to questions posed by this newspaper about district issues reveal both a breadth and depth that are unmatched by her opponents’ responses. During this campaign she has been the candidate most focused on the district, the most willing to debate and the least likely to be diverted by outside interests.
Mr. Hoffman, an accountant and businessman who lives outside the district in Lake Placid, has harnessed a national firestorm of conservative dismay with government. But his ideological stands could harm the district. An example: He has sworn on principle not to request congressional earmarks even though they were essential to raise federal funds for the expansion and improvement of Fort Drum. Would he hew to this stand at the expense of the district which has benefited mightily from Drum’s development?
When asked a series of questions about the district last week, Mr. Hoffman drew blanks in several areas. We cannot wait for Mr. Hoffman, who has been co-opted by the right-wing national politicians, to do his homework.
The Syracuse Post-Standard, which is located just outside the district but has a strong presence in its western region, has endorsed Owens — and said that beyond her liberal positions on gay marriage, abortion and the Employee Free Choice Act, Scozzafava generally adheres to the usual Republican lines:
On balance, while Scozzafava earns points for her experience in office, and shows courage in some of her independent stands, her opposition to health reform proposals and climate change legislation, and her faith in Wall Street and tax cuts are troubling. We give Owens the edge in this race because he offers a clear and welcome contrast to both Scozzafava and Hoffman on major issues. As a lawmaker in Washington, however, he will have to commit himself to finding specific solutions.
The Post-Standard also points to the Daily Times’ criticism of Hoffman for not knowing the local issues, and says that the Hoffman campaign ignored the Post-Standard’s invitations for an interview with the editorial board.
