A month ago, the view from atop the Adirondacks looked pretty different.
The launch of Democratic attorney Bill Owens’ campaign had all the feel of opening a campaign kit overnighted from DCCC headquarters to New York’s North Country. Senior Sen. Chuck Schumer apparently didn’t get the party memo, lamenting to a reporter during an official visit to the district that Democrats didn’t get its top candidate, seemingly unaware of Owens. And Republican Assemblywoman DeDe Scozzafava had a solid political base and a centrist record to box Owens out.
Now, Scozzafava and Republicans are in total disarray, and another special election looks like it could be headed for disaster. Haven’t we seen this before?
Well, yes and no. In the past year and a half, Republicans have frittered away four competitive special elections, and in some of them cutthroat primaries fatally wounded GOP nominees. But in none of those elections did a well-funded, Club for Growth-endorsed candidate compete directly against the GOP candidate for votes on the general election ballot. Thanks to Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman, Owens could well steal
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