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It's one of about races that are being closely watched this November. Politico.com's Kate Nocera says the Kathy Hochul seat is one the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) would really like to win back.
"That district has always been Republican. It's always been pretty conservative, and when she won, it was surprising to a lot of people, so they're really hoping they can take that one back," Nocera says (Cont'd below)
 Who is Kathy Hochul?It's a question that the Republicans have built their campaign around. On the campaign trail, Chris Collins will seldom if ever mention Hochul's name without pairing it with President Obama. And the national Republican Congressional Campaign Committee recently ponied up funds for a series of mobile billboards depicting Hochul and Obama together behind the wheel of the same vehicle. "In this particular district, I think the strategy makes a lot of sense," says Prof. Bruce Bryski in the communications and Political Science Dept. at Buffalo State College. "That partiuclar district has voted republican in the presidential race, for both (John) McCain and George W. Bush, in what is a very blue state." For her part, Hochul is painting herself as more of an independent. While she did vote against repeal of the President's health care rfeform law, she has been against components of it. She has disagreed with the president on his tax cut plan and recently voted with Republicans in favor of contempt charges against Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder. And Hochul -recently named to politico.com's list of "Top Democrats Running Away From Pres. Obama," will not be attending the Democratic National Convention. "Hochul can also argue.. that she has been independent.. but quite frankly I don't know if that resonates in this district," Bryski says. |
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Republican Chris Collins
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And she says both the incumbent Hochul and GOP challenger Chris Collins will see a lot of money poured into the race. But Nocera's not sure about the involvement of presidential Super PACs contributing dollars, but one way or the other, the money will flow.
"But I can say the congressional campaigns will be spending significantly in these close races in New York," Nocera says.
She says most areas of upstate New York will see a deluge of campaign ads leading up to the election.
Besides Hochul, Nocera wrote in a recent Politico article that Republicans have their sights on other vulnerable Democrats, including Rochester's Louise Slaughter, along with Northern New York representative Bill Owens, and Tim Bishop.
