The Special Election in NY-23 is On!

John McHugh started his new job as Secretary of the Army last week. With the seat vacant, Governor Paterson announced that the special election to fill the seat will be held on November 3rd, alongside the regularly scheduled elections. The candidates vying to succeed McHugh in the U.S. House of Representatives are Republican/Independence Party candidate Dede Scozzafava, Democrat Bill Owens and Conservative Doug Hoffman.

These last two weeks have been busy for all three candidates. House Minority Leader John Boehner suggested that Scozzafava would follow McHugh onto the House Armed Services Committee should she win the seat. State Senator Darrel Aubertine, who was an early favorite to run for and win this seat, endorsed fellow Democrat Bill Owens. Doug Hoffman called on Dede Scozzafava to disavow her relationship with the radical Working Families Party (which has yet to endorse a candidate in this race), and by extension, the corrupt ACORN community organization.

Meanwhile, all three candidates have been racking up endorsements. Scozzafava was endorsed by Oswego-area and North Country State Senators and Assemblymen and the Republican Main Street Partnership PAC, while Owens was endorsed by the SEIU. The big endorsement news comes from Doug Hoffman’s campaign. Hoffman was endorsed by former presidential candidate Senator Fred Thompson, the Club for Growth, the Susan B. Anthony List and the New York State Troopers’ Police Benevolent Association. I’ve included a sampling of the three candidates TV and web ads.