In a year in which the
Iraq war and
President Bush's low approval ratings are threatening to
doom many House Republicans, two
New York incumbents may buck the expected Democratic wave
and retain their seats.
Republican Reps.
James Walsh of
Syracuse and
Sue Kelly of the
Hudson Valley are aiming to avoid the fate of some of their
Republican colleagues tomorrow by stressing their independence
on issues like the environment and stem cell research and by
demonstrating that they have stood up for their constituents and
brought federal dollars to their home districts.
Mr. Walsh and Ms. Kelly have
been forced to try to blunt accusations from their Democratic
opponents that their votes in the House with Mr. Bush shows them
to be out of touch with New Yorkers.
New York Democrats have
zeroed in on districts where the gap between registered
Republicans and Democrats is small but where the Democratic
presidential candidate in 2004, Senator Kerry of
Massachusetts, ran strongly.
An associate professor of
political science at the
Maxwell School of Syracuse University, Grant Reeher, said
that while Mr. Walsh has supported Mr. Bush on the Iraq war, tax
cuts for the wealthy, and
Medicare, the congressman has stressed other issues on which
he has broken ranks with the
White House.
"On the detainee bill, he
took a position that was counter to the Bush administration's
preferred stance. He was part of the compromise," Mr. Reeher
said. "In addition, he has been quite clear in his advocacy for
money coming back to the district."
Mr. Walsh, who is seeking
his 10th term in office, is chairman of the Appropriations
Committee Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans
Affairs, and he secured federal funds to clean up the polluted
Onondaga Lake in Syracuse. Mr. Reeher said the Republican also
has been bolstered by a perception among voters that he is more
independent-minded than most
GOP congressmen.
Mr. Walsh, who has been in
office for 18 years, did not face a Democratic challenger in
2004. But Mr. Kerry narrowly carried the district that year, and
this time Mr. Walsh is being challenged by
Dan Maffei, who worked for Senator Moynihan.
Mr. Maffei has criticized
Mr. Walsh for his support for the Iraq war and Congress's
inability to raise the minimum wage. Mr. Maffei has told voters
that as part of a majority-ruling party — should the Democrats
take the House — he will vote to increase the minimum wage.
The executive director of
the Republican Main Street Partnership, Sarah Chamberlain
Resnick, said Ms. Kelly is a prime example of a Republican who
has distanced herself from the "conservative" label.
Ms. Kelly voted against
opening up the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and is in
favor of stem cell research.
Independence from the Bush
White House has been central to her message, though the
congresswoman did vote with Mr. Bush 77% of the time in 2006,
according to
Congressional Quarterly.
In a recent ad, she said,
"I'm not always the most popular person with party leaders in
Congress."
But Ms. Kelly, who garnered
67% of the vote in 2004, is not abandoning the Republican Party
on all the issues. She has struck back at her opponent, Democrat
John Hall, accusing him of favoring lax fiscal measures such as
a universal health care system and federally funded political
campaigns.
Mr. Hall, in turn, has
challenged Ms. Kelly's political contributions from oil
companies and her support for the Iraq war. And
President Clinton recently stumped for Mr. Hall.
One of the best
opportunities for the Democrats appears to be in the open 24th
Congressional District in central New York, where Republican
Sherwood Boehlert, a popular congressman who has voted with
Mr. Bush 63% of the time in 2006, according to Congressional
Quarterly, is stepping down.
Running to succeed him is
Democrat Michael Arcuri, who tells voters he is the heir
apparent to the independent tradition of Mr. Boehlert,
particularly on environmental issues.
Mr. Arcuri has branded his
opponent,
Raymond Meier, as "too conservative" for the district,
citing his votes against embryonic stem cell research while he
was a state senator — a measure Mr. Boehlert voted to support.
Polls have Mr. Arcuri slightly ahead of the Republican.
