Tag: NY-29

CORNING -- Democrat Eric Massa, who nearly unseated incumbent Rep. John R. Kuhl Jr., R-Hammondsport, last November, will seek the 29th District Congressional seat again next year. Massa announced today that he is officially opening an exploratory committee to prepare for the contest. "I was going to be very happy to stay in retirement," Massa said. "But the issues of today underline the need for an honest debate of the issues." Massa, a retired Naval officer who lives in Corning, said he is starting from "ground zero" to build a campaign staff, raise money and establish a headquarters. "We're very optimistic," he said.

Fighting29th has a post up about why Kuhl is pinned down into supporting the war to the hilt: if he strays off the grounds of the right-wing loony bin, he may face a primary challenger or, what might be worse, a conservative party line challenger in the general. Apparently, Bob Lonsberry is threatening to run against him support a primary challenger against Kuhl unless Randy gets behind a plan to build a moat along the Mexican border.

This really takes me back?in 2000, a nutter who once taught my sister high-school Spanish almost beat Sherwood Boehlert in the Republican primary (I grew up in Madison County, a rural area about 100 miles east of here) in the old NY-23 district. I don?t think Walsh faces the same problem: Onondaga and Monroe Counties don?t have a high enough concentration of right-wing lunatics to turn out Walsh in a primary. But the 29th certainly has enough to frighten Kuhl.

• Kirsten Gillibrand voted for the anti-surge resolution and recently spoke with peace activists (http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=88453198-e8cc-414f-8669-ce46a3496e6a)
• Meanwhile, almost all Upstate Republicans were against the recent anti-surge resolution, including McHugh, Kuhl, and Reynolds. Jim Walsh was the only Upstate Republican representative to cross over and vote for the resolution, and I (as well as many others) think this is only due to Walsh's increasing vulnerability representing a district which has been trending increasinly Democratic in recent years. (http://www.thealbanyproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=411)
• North Country Public Radio has a broadcast of John McHugh's "explanation" on why he continues to stand behind Bush on the war. (http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/archive.php?id=8717)
• A new forum has been introduced by staffers of Congressman Arcuri where residents of New York's 24th District may express their concerns to the newly elected Representative (http://ny24thers.proboards101.com/)