The new Siena poll of the NY-23 special election, which is being held on November 3 to fill a GOP-held swing seat, shows Democrat Bill Owens taking a narrow lead in a three-way race.
The numbers: Owens 33%, moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava 29%, and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman with 23%. Two weeks ago, Scozzafava was ahead with 35%, Owens had 28%, and Hoffman at 16%.
The pollster’s analysis finds that the positive nature of Owens’ campaign has helped him, compared to negativity from the GOP campaign: “Among those who’ve seen Owens’ commercials, a small plurality says the commercials make them more likely to support Owens. However, by a margin of 28-12 percent, those who’ve seen Scozzafava’s commercials say those commercials make them less likely to support her.”
