NY Congressional Election Results: Democrat Bill Owens wins

ALBANY, NY — President Barack Obama's decision in June to appoint a Republican congressman to a Pentagon post has paid dividends.  The Democrats have gained the House seat by capitalizing on a split between moderates and conservatives in the GOP. This was fueled by endorsements for Conservative Party Hoffman from former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, former Republican Sen. Fred Thompson and others.

Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

Lawyer and retired Air Force Capt. Bill Owens won the special election Tuesday in northern New York in which the front running Republican candidate withdrew over the weekend under pressure from the party's right wing and GOP heavyweights endorsed the Conservative Party nominee.

Owens said he hopes to bring the heavily Republican district together after the contentious race left the GOP with one less seat in this bluest of states.

"Our challenges aren't Democratic or Republican. They're not liberal or conservative. They are American challenges that we will overcome with American resolve," Owens said in his victory speech. "The only way that we can create jobs and attract economic development to our communities is by bringing people of all parties together and giving everyone a seat at the table."

With 92 percent of the precincts reporting early Wednesday, Owens defeated millionaire businessman Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate, 49 percent to 45 percent, after a boost from unified labor efforts in the last days of the campaign.

This was the bright spot for the Democrats in the 2009 election cycle. Democrats lost gubernatorial races in NJ and Virgina. The win also indicated that GOP conservatives blundered badly in New York by giving a congressional seat to the Democrats that the GOP should have won. 

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/03/bill-owens-leads-doug-hof_n_344776.html

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