Left to right: Matt Doheny, Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh
Hoffman withdrew from the 23rd Congressional District race, Oct. 6. His name will still appear on the Conservative Party ballot but he encouraged all of his supporters to vote for the Republican nominee, Matt Doheny, who he officially endorsed Oct. 6.
Voters’ line-up of candidates in the 23rd Congressional District will be a three-way race in November.
The incumbent, Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, was unopposed for the Democratic nomination but he will face two challengers in the general election.
In a cliffhanger Republican primary on Sept. 14, Matt Doheny won 51.1 percent — or 16,227 votes –compared to 48.9 percent — or 15,543 votes — for Hoffman, according to the Watertown Daily Times. On Sept. 23, Hoffman conceded the GOP line and promised to campaign as the Conservative Party candidate.
The general election is on Nov. 2.
The 23rd Congressional District includes the northern part of the state and some parts of Central New York. It includes all of Oswego, Madison, Lewis, Jefferson, Saint Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton and Hamilton Counties, as well as parts of Oneida, Fulton and Essex Counties.
Voter enrollment gives Democrats a slight edge. As of April, the 23rd Congressional District had 396,127 registered voters. Of those, 166,827 are registered Republicans; 122,669 registered Democrats; 20,930 registered in The Independence Party; 5,733 registered with the Conservative Party and 77,376 registered as unaffiliated with any party.
In the national political landscape, the 23rd Congressional District looms large with its close voter enrollment and recent election fireworks. In 2009, Democrat Owens won a special election to succeed long-time Rep. John McHugh, R-Ellisburg, who became Secretary of the Army. With his victory, Owens became the first Democrat elected to the seat since the 19th century.
In that special election, Owens faced Hoffman for the Congressional seat. Hoffman was relatively unknown at the time and had set himself up as the more conservative Republican. Then-state Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava, R-Gouverneur, was nominated by the GOP and The Independence Party.
But under sharp attacks from Owens, who accused her of not being conservative enough, she pulled out of the race three days before the election. In a break with her party, she then threw her support behind Democrat Owens.
In the 2009 general election, Hoffman lost to Owens with 69,553 votes to Owens’ 73,137 votes. That has set up this year’s replay in the GOP primary, with Hoffman trying again to be the challenger against incumbent Owens.
Nationally, Republicans are targeting the 23rd Congressional District in hopes of regaining control of the House. In the House, the GOP now has 178 seats compared to 253 seats for the Democrats.
Here are sketches of the candidates:
Rep. Bill Owens (incumbent, Democrat)
Owens is an Air Force veteran and was a lawyer for 30 years. He was a managing partner at the law firm Stafford, Owens, Piller, Murnane and Trombley in Plattsburgh.
Owens, 61, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He joined the Air Force after high school. In 1971, he graduated from Manhattan College with a degree in business administration. He took his law degree from Fordham University. He and his wife, Jane, have two daughters and one son. The couple also has four grandchildren.
In his re-election campaign, Owens is focusing on fixing the economy, creating jobs and helping Fort Drum, said Clay Schroers, campaign manager for Owens.
Owens calls for bringing jobs to Central New York by promoting green energy, improving improving the infrastructure of Fort Drum and expanding trade with Canada.
In the Congressional elections this year, incumbents are haunted by two controversial votes: the national heath care overhaul and the federal spending package for economic stimulus. Owens voted for the healthcare overhaul, backing President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party. He was not in Congress for the vote on the federal spending package.
In campaign fundraising, Owens has a substantial lead over either of his challengers. challengers. As of Aug. 25, Owens had raised more than $2.2 million, according to the independent and non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.
Matt Doheny (challenger, Republican)
Matt Doheny is a political novice making his first run for public office. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania before getting a law degree from Cornell University.
He has practiced law in Syracuse and was a managing director for troubled assets at Deutsche Bank for eight years. In 2008, he left Deutsche Bank to join Fintech Advisory as a portfolio manager.
Doheny, 40, grew up in Alexandria Bay. He has a brother in Texas and his mother lives in Alexandria Bay. He lives in Watertown.
In his campaign for Congress, he casts himself as a fiscal conservative. On his Web site, Doheny describes government spending as “out of control.” He calls for creating jobs by lowering taxes, so, as he puts it, the “economy can thrive.”
His spokesperson, Alison Power, describes Doheny this way: “Probably the opposite of the current administration and the current Congress, including Mr. Owens.”
As of Aug. 25, Doheny had raised about $1.9 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Doug Hoffman (challenger, Conservative)
Hoffman, 60, went to college at North Country Community College and SUNY Canton. He graduated in 1973 from SUNY Plattsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He then got his master’s degree in finance and accounting from the University of Connecticut in 1976.
While in college, he enlisted in the Army, then the U.S. Army Reserves. Today, Hoffman is a managing partner of Dragon Benware Crowley & Co., which has five offices across North Country.
Hoffman grew up in Saranac Lake. He and his wife, Carol, have three children—Ashleah, Douglas and Taylor—and four grandchildren. Both daughters are employed by Hoffman Family Enterprises while Douglas is a trooper in the New York State Police. Hoffman and his wife live in Saranac Lake.
As the Conservative Party candidate, he says he will cut pork and “wasteful earmarks” that designate federal spending on projects. He also calls for a flat tax.
As of Aug. 25, Hoffman had raised about $1.96 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
(Andrew Chernoff is a junior with dual majors in broadcast journalism and political science.)
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