Reader Rich writes to make two important points about the open-mouth kiss given to Randy Kuhl on Saturday by the Hornell Evening Tribune:
According to my figures, if Mr. Kuhl is 63, he was born in 1943. He became 18 in 1961. The 26th amendment, which changed the voting age from 21 to 18, was ratified in 1971. How could he have been voting in this district since he was 18? Did he vote illegally? Who does he think he is fooling?
He is also running for Congress from NY-29th district, not the 26th.
I agree with Rich that the Hornell paper needs better fact-checking on its puff pieces.
Reader Jim writes to remind those in the Rochester area that the last debate in the 29th will be telecast tonight on RNews at 7 p.m. I don't have cable, so I won't be able to watch it unless it is streamed over the Internet. But I trust other Rochester-area bloggers will be watching and reporting.
Comments
OK, first of all: I suspect the profile of Randy was the lst of two back-to-backs re: the separate candidates. But they just didn't explain that. Look for the second next weekend or maybe as soon as today. Second, Hornell is one of THE VERY FEW communities in the Southern Tier which can and often does vote Democratic. What Massa has to do is so obvious: Schumer, I think, even carried Steuben County a couple of years ago (by just a few hundred but amazing nonetheless). Massa should TARGET THOSE CROSSOVER PRECINCTS....where people are sophisticated enough to follow races and indeed have no problem splitting their tickets. Pour the money into direct-mail THERE. Apart from a big get-out-the-vote and some tv, this may b e his best chance....
You're probably right on the newspaper story, but you've got your voting analysis backwards. Steuben went 68/28 for Kuhl in '04 - his largest winning percentage of any county in the 29th. Cattaraugus (51/42) and Chemung (52/43) are the "tight" Southern Tier counties. Plus, Steuben is Randy's home county.
Thanks. I guess you're right that Steuben will hang in with the hometown local. But the point should apply to other counties, shouldn't it? There must be some precincts known for having crossover capacity--and thus should be targeted?
Absolutely - the precinct-by-precinct GOTV effort by both campaigns will target voters by registration, and that's where the election is ultimately won or lost.
I really wonder if Steuben will hang in with the hometown local. If this were true, I would have thought the debate in Bath would have been packed with his supporters. This would have been a excellent venue to show support for the favorite son. I estimated the crowd at close to 300, and got the feeling that Massa was the popular choice of the people there.
Both Olean and Salamanca very often vote Democratic. Cattaraugus County does have a County Judge, District Attorney, and County Clerk who were Democratic Party candidates, therefore the county can go Democratic in local elections.
Wellsville in Allegany often goes Democratic as well. Massa appears to have a lot of support in Allegany County, but the county is clearly Republican. For some reason Kuhl appears to be not be as popular as other Republicans there. Would Allegany Republicans cross over? We will have to wait for the election results to know.
Massa is the best congressional candidate I have ever seen the Democratic Party offer for the 29th District. And we have had Democratic Congressmen in the past. This contest should prove very interesting.
LV - He's a good candidate and he's running during a year that looks good for Democrats. This is the best chance Dems have had in the district in 20 years.
Here is how Stan Lundine got elected in the mid-70s. Then-incumbent James Hastings of Interlaken (?) resigned under cloud of scandal (misuse of mail and wires?). A special election was called. The post-Watergate stench was still in the air. The young, then-Mayor of Jamestown ran against a hack-hack-hack, Jack Calkins, who was based in D.C. It was----amazing. the results that cold night. Even Canisteo went Democrat. You are right; this is the first chance, with exception of Samara Baren two years ago, for the Dems to win this seat again. We'll see. If it can't happen this year....Randy Kuhl is our congressman until, sigh, the district gets gerrymandered/dissolved/combined with Louise Slaughter's following the 2010 census.
If Massa loses and it's a tight race, he might run again (like Davis) or it might embolden someone else. Ever since Monroe Co was added to the 29th, it became more competitive for Democrats.
Not that it matters.
James F. Hastings of Allegany, NY, near Olean, NY.
Avoca Mom, I liked your comment about the 29th being combined with Louise Slaughter's district which definately looks gerrymandered already. How far would they dare push it?