Rep.-elect Bill Owens (D-NY) will be sworn in today at about noon, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office has confirmed.
Owens’s win this past Tuesday in the NY-23 special election was a bright spot for Democrats on an otherwise dreary night, with his victory over Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman giving Democrats a pick-up of a seat that they literally did not hold during the entire 20th century.
Owens will also be meeting with President Obama at 4:25 p.m. ET today. During his campaign Owens had initially been skeptical of a strong public option, but was later supportive of the milder version contained in the current House health care bill. So don’t be surprised if the upcoming health care vote, in which Owens could very well make the difference between passage and failure, is a major topic of discussion.
