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  • Candidates for the 23rd Congressional William Owens, Democrat (left) and Douglas Hoffman, Conservative. (P-R File Photos)

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November 3, 2009

Election day in wild NY House race

By VALERIE BAUMAN

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — In an off-year election cycle, a single special election for an upstate congressional seat wasn't supposed to get much attention. But a lot of things happened that weren't supposed to in New York's 23rd Congressional race.

Tuesday's race started about five weeks ago with three candidates, and ends with two — Democrat Bill Owens and surprise contender Conservative Doug Hoffman. Republican Dierdre Scozzafava abruptly quit the race over the weekend and backed Owens after Hoffman's backers accused her of being too liberal for the largely Republican district because of her support of abortion rights and same-sex marriage.

Hoffman started in a distant third and was viewed as a spoiler at best, cutting away at Scozzafava and opening the door for Owens.

Scozzafava told the Syracuse Post-Standard that she'd be voting for Owens then spending the day doing the things she ignored during the shortened campaign. She was angry over what she said was "hate and lies and the deceitfulness" aimed at her by fellow Republicans.

"I don't believe that should be the characteristics that define the Republican Party," she told the newspaper. "I think people should be allowed to have discussions and reasonable disagreements. But this was a full frontal assault on me personally and politically, for weeks."

After voting in his home town of Plattsburgh, Owens planned a full day of campaigning across the district before heading back to Plattsburgh to watch returns.

Hoffman's campaign said he wouldn't vote until evening because expected bad weather changed his plans. The Conservative doesn't live in the district and so can't vote for himself.

It's the second straight special election in New York where one candidate couldn't vote. In the 20th Congressional District in March, Republican James Tedisco lived outside the district and couldn't vote. That close race took more than three weeks to decide, ultimately going to Democrat Scott Murphy by only about 400 votes.

Hoffman was campaigning in Oswego.

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