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Twenty-five Republicans rebelled against John Boehner (R-Ohio), who won a third term as Speaker on Tuesday. The 25 Republicans, including three freshmen, didn't coalesce around a single alternative candidate. Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), whose nomination for Speaker became public just minutes before the vote, attracted the most votes at 12. Meanwhile, the other two long-shot candidates, Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) only received three and two votes each. Additionally, freshman Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) voted "present" rather than voting for anyone. And two Republican lawmakers voted for people who aren't even members of the House: Rep. Gary...

GOP Rep. Chris Gibson cruised to reelection Tuesday, derailing the political dreams of wealthy Democratic candidate Sean Eldridge. Eldridge, the 28-year-old husband of Facebook billionaire and New Republic publisher Chris Hughes, spent nearly $3 million on his quest to win New York’s Hudson Valley-based 19th District. Eldridge conceded with Gibson holding a 65 percent to 35 percent lead. Twenty-eight percent of precincts were reporting. Gibson, a decorated Army veteran, has held the seat since 2011 and managed to win over many Democrats, building a solid lead over Eldridge, who moved to the district only a few years ago. Eldridge tried...

To many Democrats, ObamaCare is a four-letter word. Most Democrats in competitive elections are seeking to avoid the topic, opting not to tout the controversial law on their campaign websites. In a review of battleground races, The Hill found that out of 50 Democratic candidates with active campaign websites, only 11 mention the healthcare law by name, either as "ObamaCare," "Affordable Care Act," or "ACA." Fourteen more mention the law, but not its name, and half the candidates omit it entirely from their websites. President Obama has trumpeted that more than 8 million people have enrolled in ACA-related plans. Meanwhile,...

Though rooting for opposite outcomes in the high-profile race to represent New York's 19th Congressional District, Democrats and Republicans share one sentiment: Both are excited that Sean Eldridge is in. On Sunday night, the 27-year-old husband of Facebook co-founder and New Republic owner Chris Hughes (pictured, left, with Eldridge) officially announced his long-expected bid to take on incumbent GOP Rep. Chris Gibson. “Instead of looking out for Wall Street and big oil, we need Washington to help our small businesses and our family farms,” he said in a slickly produced YouTube video that featured bucolic scenes of his newly adopted...

Dems target vulnerable GOP lawmakers over health law repeal voteBy Meghashyam Mali - 07/02/12 06:00 AM ET The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is launching a new campaign Monday targeting vulnerable GOP lawmakers on healthcare ahead of the House vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. "Democrats are on offense as we expose these House Republicans for standing up for insurance companies and congressional perks instead of protecting consumers," said DCCC Chairman Steve Israel (N.Y.), in a statement announcing the drive. "For 18 months, Republicans have been on defense for protecting millionaires over Medicare and now they're planning another vote...

Hundreds of Chris Gibson supporters welcome President Clinton to Gibson Country! Check out these photos!

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - 8:57 a.m.: The rally is over. Clinton said Gibson is an honorable man who should be respected for his miltary service. But Murphy has a better understanding of the economy. Clinton said the tea party should be supporting Murphy because he supported a bill to prevent future bailouts. "If you don't want more bailouts, you'd better vote for your current congressman." he said. Clinton said Murphy understands new technology. The U.S. Share of manufacturng batteries for hybrid cars has gone from 2 percent to 30 percent Clinton said. Clinton said the health care bill is important....

Republican Chris Gibson has catapulted ahead of Democratic Rep. Scott Murphy in the race for the upstate New York's 20th congressional district, according to an independent poll released Tuesday. The survey found that Gibson was leading Murphy 51-42 percent, reversing a 17 point deficit from last month, according to the poll by the Siena College Research Institute. The survey found that Gibson was now drawing strong support from Republicans and also was leading among independents, in the district that includes a number of counties around Albany. The district is one of several upstate New York districts won by Democrats in...

BRUNSWICK -- Chris Gibson's first political awakening came in 1979. He was 15, watching President Jimmy Carter tell Americans to turn down their thermostats. His father was collecting unemployment, out of work from his job as an elevator mechanic. "I remember just thinking, 'Is this it? Are our best days behind us?'" Gibson recalled recently. Then he heard Ronald Reagan, with his "sense of hope, his sense of optimism -- and I was attracted to the message." The same thoughts occurred to him in the summer of 2009 when Gibson, a colonel in the Army, became "concerned" with a growing...

New York’s 20th congressional district has a problem. It’s an R+2 district, one that Bush carried 54 percent to 46 percent in 2004, and one that Obama carried by 3 percent, a classic swing district. But their Democratic congressman, Scott Murphy, is one of those so-called “moderate Democrats” who are never moderate when it really counts. He voted for Obamacare, and staunchly opposes repeal. He voted against a ban on federally funded abortions. He voted for cap-and-trade. Murphy likes to talk a lot about his strong views on pay-as-you-go, but he voted to raise the debt ceiling. He voted for...

Freshman Rep. Scott Murphy, locked in a tight re-election contest in upstate New York, released a political advertisement Wednesday that may be the election season’s most aggressive embrace of the health care law passed by Congress this year. The advertisement doesn’t so much extol the health care law’s virtues as it attacks his opponent, Chris Gibson, for wanting its repeal. “Chris Gibson would let insurance companies go back to denying coverage for pre-existing conditions; he would let them restore lifetime limits on coverage. Chris Gibson would eliminate mandatory coverage for preventive care like mammograms and colon screenings, and seniors would...

Chris Gibson’s congressional campaign has issued a memo describing an internal poll showing the retired Army colonel from Kinderhook is trailing Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls, by four points. In a head-to-head match up, the poll found Murphy leading Gibson 42-38. The pollsters write in a memo: “Among the voters most interested in the election, Gibson leads, 41%-40%.” The poll was conducted early last week by Public Opinion Strategies and surveyed 400 “likely” voters, determined by their self-rating. Dan Odescalchi, a Gibson spokesman, said the sample was 41 percent Republican, 27 percent Democratic and 32 percent un-enrolled or other parties....

American Bio Medica, one of Columbia County’s largest manufacturers, is fighting the federal government’s attempt to expand its regulation of the company’s products. The company makes drug testing kits for workplaces and government agencies. The FDA wants to begin regulating saliva drug testing kits, which make up about 20 percent of American Bio Medica’s product line. Chris Gibson, the Republican candidate for the 20th Congressional District seat, touring the plant on Smith Street Thursday, told the company’s assembled workforce this was “capricious legislation.” “Twenty percent of your company’s business is at risk,” he said. The saliva tests make up about...

Rep. Scott Murphy holds a 17-point lead over his Republican challenger Chris Gibson, a poll released today by the Siena Research Institute shows, and voters agree with major planks of the platform he and his fellow Democrats are carrying to the November elections. But Gibson, a retired Army colonel from Kinderhook, was able to gain the support of 37 percent of voters, and may have an opening if he can paint Murphy as just another incumbent tied to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco. “This campaign has a long way to go,” said poll spokesman Steve Greenberg. “The vast...

Chris Gibson, who’s running against Democratic Rep. Scott Murphy for New York’s 20th Congressional District, told supporters in Maplecrest on Saturday his campaign is raising “respectable figures.” “Clearly if you’re following this closely you see that my opponent has a lot more money than me,” he said. “But fear not,” he told the supporters, gathered under the pavilion of CD Lane Park. Filings with the Federal Election Commission last week show Gibson has $526,334 cash-on-hand compared to Murphy’s $1.45 million. Gibson raised $262,000 during the last filing period, while Murphy brought in more than $325,000. Gibson, a Republican and retired...

Recently, veterans supporting Chris Gibson’s candidacy announced the formation of the Veterans for Gibson Coalition. Gibson recently retired from the military after serving for 24 years. He rose to the rank of Colonel and was deployed seven times, which included four tours to Iraq. “The men and women that have served, or still serve, our nation hold a special place in my heart. Their support for my candidacy has been overwhelming and I want them to know that I will always be there for them. It is thanks to them that we live in a country that is free, prosperous...

COLUMBIA COUNTY, NY - Chris Gibson, a fiscally conservative combat veteran who entered the race to represent New York’s 20th Congressional District in March, demonstrated his fundraising prowess with a posting of nearly $500,000 for the quarter. Roughly 90 percent of total contributions came from individuals, his campaign has announced. Gibson believes his ability to immediately begin out-raising his opponent, Scott Murphy, after a late entrance into the race shows the viability and strength of his message. “We are very honored by the overwhelming amount of support we have received,” Gibson said.. “We have traveled all over the district and...

When last we left the NY 20th congressional district, the Republicans waged and lost a lackluster campaign to replace Kirsten Gillibrand, who had just been named to the US Senate to replace Hillary Clinton. One of the biggest differences in that race was candidate selection. The Republican establishment picked one of their own, a long serving state assemblyman who was all about old style bringing back the bacon type politics. It took him two weeks to announce how he would have voted on the so-called “stimulus” bill, even knowing all Republicans in the House had voted against it months earlier....

New conservative candidates are emerging in New York House races ... updates are included in this thread. Perhaps the most exciting new conservative on the scene is Retired Army colonel Chris Gibson (R) in NY-20. (Recall that freshman Rep. Murphy was elected last spring in a tight special election over GOPer Jim Tedisco.) An Albany Times Union blog reports: "Retired Army colonel Chris Gibson of Kinderhook won an endorsement from the Clifton Park Republican Committee Thursday night. The members talked to Gibson as well as the other men looking to challenge Democrat U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy in the 20th Congressional...