Free Republic

    RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who was the first to elevate the 20th CD race to a contest of national importance by declaring it a must-win for the Republican Party, just issued the following statement on last night's cliffhanger:"With over 5,000 absentee and military ballots still left to count, this race is far from over. We are confident that the Republican advantage in these absentee and military ballots can put Jim Tedisco over the top, and the Republican Party will do everything in its power to make sure all lawful votes are counted.” ”We are proud of Jim Tedisco...

Today, a rural Congressional district in New York State will become the first true political test of President Barack Obama's policies as the polls open for the country's first special election since he took office. Georgia did hold a run-off vote for the senate race between Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin after Obama was elected but before he was sworn in. Interestingly, the outcome was abysmal for the Democratic candidate who went down in double digits. Obama did not physically campaign for Martin in Georgia in the lead-up to the run-off.

One of the most important races in America - Tuesday's neck-and-neck special election to fill the upstate congressional seat left vacant by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand - could be decided by an increasingly powerful, often-overlooked constituency: immigrant voters. That would be sweet irony in a country where, all too often, immigrants are treated as an afterthought at best, a menace at worst. It may come as a shock to those who are obsessed with illegal immigrants that there are lots of legal immigrants who have dreams, brains, citizenship - and, increasingly, the political power that comes with the right to vote....

Republican New York Assemblyman Jim Tedisco on Friday morning disputed a new poll that shows he is trailing Democrat Scott Murphy in the special election for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's (D-N.Y.) former House seat. The Siena Research poll found Murphy leading Tedisco by four points - 47 percent to 43 percent. Tedisco said his campaign's internal polling shows he continues to lead as next Tuesday's election approaches. “Heading into Election Day, our campaign’s internal polling shows us continuing to lead, just as we have for this entire race," Tedisco said in a statement. "Today's Siena poll is simply another in a...

It’s been a big day for the NY-20 special Congressional election. The Libertarian Party candidate was forced off the ballot due to technical issues with his petitions, a problem Barack Obama’s 1996 state Senate opponents might sympathize with. Democrat Scott Murphy has caught Republican Jim Tedisco in the polls. Barack Obama has lent his considerable star power to Murphy in an attempt to hold the seat for Democrats. This new ad by the NRCC might make Obama regret that decision, though:

Democrats are seeking to use conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh to rally their base in advance of next week's special election in New York's 20th district. A new direct mail piece from businessman Scott Murphy's campaign features an angry shot of Limbaugh over the words "I hope Obama fails." At the bottom of the piece in parentheses is written "Somebody wants you to stay home on March 31st...." On the back of the mailer, an Obama drawing is featured with text superimposed over it that accuses "Rush Limbaugh and his lackeys in Washington" of trying to "be a roadblock to...

Is the special election in New York's 20th district a referendum on the national political environment - on President Barack Obama, Washington, D.C.'s handling of the American International Group bonus scandal, the economic stimulus package and the national reputations of the two parties? Or, rather, is it about the skills and appeal of the two candidates? It's about both. Republican Jim Tedisco initially appeared to possess the most important qualities for the brief campaign. A veteran of the New York state Legislature, he is known as "Mr. Schenectady" and has deep roots in the area. He also appeared to benefit...

On Today's Show...   White House Strategy Backfires: Rush Ratings Through the Roof!   "These ratings are good news for all of us.  It shows there's a healthy hunger for some opposition to what is happening. Don't feel alone. You're not.  Millions of Americans are with you, many afraid to say so because they see what happens to people who voice criticism. Most of them don't have a microphone for three hours a day to fight back. I, of course, do." -Rush Limbaugh    Rush's Opening Monologue: President Obama Wants Chaos All this stuff happening in the financial sector...

Geithner, Daschle, Franken, and Now their Nominee in NY's Special Congressional Election I wrote yesterday about Scott Murphy — the Democrat candidate for Kirsten Gillibrand’s old House seat. I pointed out that he was trying to send part of his resume down the memory hole — suddenly erasing from his biography his role in starting an Indian rival to Ebay. I pointed out that he’d also had problems paying his taxes in the past. But now I see that his firm — Small World Software — still has outstanding liens against it with the New York State Department of Taxation....

Perhaps seeking to regain some luster to his presidency, Barack Obama has jumped into the political fray and endorsed Scott Murphy for Congress in NY 20th district. In an email sent to around 50,000 supporters in the district, the president urged people to organize for the democratic candidate who is running against Republican Jim Tedesco with the winner to take over the seat vacated when Kirsten Gillibrand was elevated to the senate: Today I'm announcing my support for Scott Murphy, candidate for New York's 20th Congressional District," the email reads. "He's created jobs by building and growing small businesses while...

Despite a considerable Republican enrollment advantage, the Democrat seeking to replace Kirsten Gillibrand in the 20th Congressional District has cut into his Republican opponent's lead in the race. According to new poll out today from Siena College, Scott Murphy of Glens Falls only trails Assemblyman Jim Tedisco of Schenectady 45 percent to 41 percent with less than three weeks to go before the March 31 special election. The phone survey of 712 likely voters was conducted March 9-10 and has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points. The GOP holds the edge in voter enrollment in the district, which...

Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco emerged from today's meeting of Republican leaders from the 10 counties that form part of the 20th Congressional District with enough support to declare himself the party's chosen candidate. Tedisco bested former gubernatorial candidate John Faso as well as state Sen. Betty Little for the Republican slot in the upcoming special election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated this week by Kirsten Gillibrand's elevation to the U.S. Senate. Gillibrand was sworn in earlier today. Tedisco will be running in a majority-Republican district that Gillibrand, a Democrat, won twice. The Minority Leader will likely be...