ALBANY, N.Y. — Democrat Bill Owens had an early lead with about 50 percent of the vote in a special congressional election in northern New York that has grabbed national headlines as it highlighted divisions within the Republican Party.
Owens led Tuesday over surprise contender Doug Hoffman, a member of the state Conservative Party, who had 45 percent of the vote with 39 percent of precincts reporting in New York’s heavily Republican 23rd House district.
Republican Dierdre Scozzafava, who withdrew Saturday, had still picked up 5 percent of the vote early on.
Most votes were coming from Clinton and Jefferson counties. Clinton County is Owens’ home base.
The race started about five weeks ago with three candidates and is ending with two — Hoffman and Owens, who is seeking to exploit a split in Republican loyalties and recapture a seat held for decades by the GOP.
Scozzafava abruptly quit the race over the weekend and backed Owens after Hoffman’s supporters accused her of being too liberal for the largely Republican district because of her support of abortion rights and same-sex marriage.
Hoffman started at a distant third and was viewed as a spoiler at best, cutting away at Scozzafava and opening the door for Owens.
Prominent Republicans, including former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, endorsed Hoffman instead of the party-picked Scozzafava.
Between the Republican infighting and attempts by Democrats to portray that as a sign they could retain their majority in the 2010 midterms, Tuesday’s special election took on unanticipated importance.
A Hoffman win could force Republicans in Washington to pay closer attention to their positions on issues, rather than counting on the Republican label to get them elected.
An Owens win could signal renewed strength among Democrats, or at least reassure them of Republicans’ perceived weakness.
