Democrat’s win in N.Y. plays spoiler for GOP

Democrat Bill Owens has won the special election in New York’s 23rd district, giving Democrats a big House takeover in a race that garnered plenty of national attention.

The Associated Press, MSNBC and Fox News have called the race for Owens, and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman has reportedly conceded.

Owens had 49 percent of the vote with about 86 percent of precincts reporting. Hoffman trailed at 45 percent, while withdrawn Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava had 5 percent.

Hoffman appeared to have the momentum going into Election Day in the upstate district, but the de facto Republican nominee appeared to succumb to the Democratic turnout machine and a late visit from Vice President Joe Biden.

The race was the one missing piece for the Republicans nationally Tuesday, with the party taking a pair of governor’s seats from Democrats earlier in the night in Virginia and in a tight race in New Jersey.

With the win in New York, Democrats grew their House majority to 257 votes, while Republicans, who held the seat previously, fell to 176.

The seat became vacant when Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) was confirmed as Obama’s Army Secretary.

The race burst onto the national scene over the last few days, after a conservative backlash pushed the liberal Republican Scozzafava from the race.

Hoffman and Owens polled close before Scozzafava’s exit, and Hoffman took leads in a pair of polls afterward. But there was plenty of unpredictability heading into the voting Tuesday, and neither side was too confident about their prospects.

Scozzafava crossed parties to support Owens – a move lamented by Republicans who labeled her a turncoat.

Democrats pointed to the events as proof that conservatives are unhappy with the direction of the national GOP. Conservative candidates are challenging establishment Republicans in many top races around the country – mostly as primary challengers, but some as third-party
candidates like Hoffman.

Republicans pointed to Hoffman’s ascendance as proof that conservative principles are popular. They note that the district went 52 percent for President Barack Obama in 2008.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spent more than $1 million on the race, while the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spent most of its $900,000 opposing Owens, even though the expenditures occurred before Scozzafava’s exit.

Third party groups led by the Club for Growth played heavily for Hoffman. The Club’s spending rivaled the major party committees for much of the race.

As a measure of the coming 2010 environment, that race represents something of an anomaly, with variables that won’t be repeated in most races across the country. The winners will seize on the results as evidence of some momentum.

Republicans still had positive signs Tuesday, winning the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey.

The other big race Tuesday night was in New Jersey, where Gov. Jon Corzine (D) lost a second term in a close race with Republican former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie. In that race, at least, an independent who threatened Christie saw his vote share drop on Election Day.

Republicans had also struggled in the last four major special congressional elections, dropping three in 2008 before major losses in the general election. They also lost another battleground district in upstate New York early this year.