Outsiders' influence irks voters in N.Y. House race

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By Kara Rowland

WATERTOWN, N.Y. — One day after conservative activists succeeded in forcing Republican Dede Scozzafava to quit New York's special congressional election, many residents in this sleepy town just south of the Canadian border say they are fed up with outsiders influencing the race.

And while the district leans Republican, it is far from clear where the state assemblywoman's former supporters will direct their votes Tuesday. In an odd twist, Mrs. Scozzafava on Sunday endorsed Democratic nominee Bill Owens, while Republican leaders have thrown their support behind Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. The two men were locked in a statistical dead heat as of Saturday.

"I think it's a shame," electrician William O'Donnell said of Mrs. Scozzafava's withdrawal. A self-described "ex-Republican," Mr. O'Donnell blamed her poor showing in the polls on "outsiders coming up and trying to push their agenda down our throats."

"The only thing they care about is getting one more seat [in Congress]. After that, they're not going to care about what's going on up here," he said.

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Watertown seems an unlikely scene for a nationally publicized Republican experiment to be taking place, and locals are routinely incredulous at the media attention over Tuesday's election. The town, the largest metropolitan area in the sprawling 23rd Congressional District, is about 80 miles north of Syracuse and 30 miles south of Canada. Issues of local interest include the effect of falling milk prices on dairy farmers, federal attempts to widen the St. Lawrence Seaway and protecting the local Army base at Fort Drum.

But inside the Beltway, political observers are watching the outcome with an eye toward next year's midterm elections and what effect the Republican split will have at the polls. The conservative "tea party" activists went to war with the establishment and won, but can they close the deal with a Hoffman victory? Or will the infighting hand the Democrats a House seat in a previously solid Republican district?

The Washington-based supporters of both Mr. Owens and Mr. Hoffman have spent millions on biting television advertisements. One Democratic ad paints Mr. Hoffman, an accountant, as a millionaire who is "looking out for himself, not us." A spot for Mr. Hoffman blasts Mr. Owens as a "liberal trial lawyer" who was "handpicked" by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

For their part, several Watertown residents say they are sick of it.

"I'm not happy at all. There's no information there — it's all slamming," said Madge Weinstein, a business manager in the area who said she is undecided.

In a letter to the Watertown Daily Times on Saturday, Katherine Robertson of Black River, N.Y., decried the attacks on Mrs. Scozzafava by conservative groups such as the Club for Growth that argued she was too liberal.

"Special-interest groups can come to the north country and shop, eat in our restaurants and stay in our hotels, but I'd prefer it if they stayed out of our politics," she wrote.

Mrs. Scozzafava pulled out of the race Saturday after a Siena Research Institute poll showed her with only 20 percent support, well behind Mr. Owens and Mr. Hoffman, who were neck-and-neck at 36 percent and 35 percent, respectively. On Sunday, she endorsed Mr. Owens, calling him "the only candidate who can build upon John McHugh's lasting legacy in the U.S. Congress."

With Mrs. Scozzafava dropping out, the House Republican campaign arm as well as the Republican National Committee transferred their support to Mr. Hoffman, who already won the backing of high-profile conservatives including former New York Gov. George E. Pataki, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Meanwhile, the local unions that endorsed Mrs. Scozzafava switched to Mr. Owens.

Mrs. Scozzafava bucked the Republican Party on several national issues, such as abortion, gay rights, the economic stimulus bill and legislation known as "card check" that would make it easier for unions to organize. But volunteers for Mr. Hoffman rejected the criticism levied by Democrats that her withdrawal means Republicans don't tolerate moderates.

"There's nothing moderate about her; if she was a moderate, Doug probably wouldn't even be running," said Thomas Chanteloup, a Cincinnati resident who read about the race on the Internet and traveled to Watertown to help out.

Mary Wilsie, a volunteer for the Owens campaign, said most of the Scozzafava supporters that she spoke with on the phone said it was between her and Mr. Owens.

"I believe that Bill Owens and Dede Scozzafava, their stance on the issues was the same," she said.

Both candidates have big events scheduled here Monday. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is hosting a rally in the morning for Mr. Owens, while John Rich of the country music duo Big and Rich is playing at an event for Mr. Hoffman in the evening.