The Fighting 29th

All about New York's 29th Congressional District

Randy Kuhl's reaction to the Spitzer news makes WENY and the Star-Gazette.

In other topics, Kuhl was one of a small group of Republicans who crossed party lines to vote for the ethics reform bill in the House.  How that vote happened is an interesting story.

And, once again, Kuhl makes the list of the top 100 golfers in DC. 

In the "that didn't take long" department, the Massa campaign just announced that it donated the $2,000 received from Eliot Spitzer to the Net Domestic Abuse Program in Steuben County.

Update:  Here's the rest of the Press Release:

Yesterday, the National Republican Congressional Committee issued another baseless attack against Eric for receiving this money despite the fact that he clearly never would have accepted these funds had he known about this situation prior to Monday's news. Strangely, the NRCC and Randy Kuhl continue to remain silent about the $10,000 Kuhl received and refuses to return from indicted Congressman Tom DeLay.

Below is a copy of Eric's statement:

"We're both shocked and dismayed by this unexpected news about our Governor. We expect a higher standard of leadership from our elected officials, and we have been let down. If in fact these accusations are true, I hope the Governor does the right thing, but right now my thoughts and prayers are with his wife, family and the people of New York at this difficult time."

Others invoke Shakespeare and Greek Tragedy, but the most apropos literary reference I've seen recently is from a young singer name Jenny Owen Youngs.  The refrain of her song, "Fuck Was I", captures what might be going through Spitzer's head about now:

Skillet on the stove is such a temptation,
maybe I'll be the lucky one that doesnt get burned.
What the fuck was I thinking?

I've embedded the song after the break.  In addition to the refrain, the music has a slightly dirge-like quality.  The lyrics are here, and Jenny has a MySpace page.

Most of the area papers and television stations covered yesterday's Kuhl announcement, as did national political sites like CQ and Politico, which did a pretty good job of capturing the bittersweet nature of the announcement:

Kuhl’s decision to run for reelection is a mixed bag for national Republicans. The party has been frustrated with his lackluster fundraising pace so far, despite his inclusion on the National Republican Congressional Committee’s list to help out vulnerable incumbents.

But an open seat for an already cash-strapped committee would present the GOP with another set of problems — namely, recruiting another credible candidate and ensuring a new candidate would be able to fundraise effectively from scratch.

If you want to read all of the announcement stories, here's a Google search which will list them all.

Reader James points out the Messenger-Post story on Kuhl's announcement.  The D&C has it, too.

Update:  Ontario GOP was at the press conference and notes that no primary challenge is expected, according to party chair Steve Minarik.

He tells the Star-Gazette that we'll find out on Friday.  The Hornell Evening Tribune quotes Kuhl saying that he "giggles" when he sees retirement rumors.

13 WHAM reports that four Republican sources tell them that Randy Kuhl is running.  

Of the list of potential Kuhl replacements in Sean Carroll's report, I buy George Winner and Tom Santulli.  Those of you planning Randy's replacement, which now seems like a moot point, might want to broaden your horizons to include State Senator Cathy Young, who can be seen on video here.

(via Rochesterturning)

New Rochesterturning writer Grievous Angel attended this morning's Massa press conference and has a full write-up in this post.  

A submitter who wishes to remain anonymous sent in an interview with Eric Massa [pdf]. It covers Massa's biography, and his positions on major issues like the war in Iraq, health care and education. It's a well-written and interesting read.

The Democrat and Chronicle has a round-up of the activity in all of the Rochester-area districts, and the 29th is mentioned briefly.

Randy Kuhl has announced his student art competition, which gets him a surprising amount of press in the Southern Tier.

John Boehner tells Republicans to get off their "dead asses" and start raising money.

Randy Kuhl holds two fundraisers next weekend.