By: Jacob Hurlbut, Guest Writer
With Election Day 2014 rapidly approaching, there are many important races occurring all across the United States for both national and in-State positions. Control over congress is up for grabs, and both parties are fighting to gain a stronger foothold in the Capitol Building. This fight is being contested right here in the North Country with New York’s 21st Congressional District in the House of Representatives up for grabs.
The NY-21 district covers the Adirondacks and surrounding area, including the cities of Watertown and Plattsburgh. The seat is currently held by Bill Owens, a Democrat from Plattsburgh, who is retiring at the end of this term. Owens has held the seat since 2009 when he won it during a special election, and has been through two hard-fought elections to defend his seat.
In the wake of his retirement, there are three candidates vying for the seat: Democrat Aaron Woolf, Green Partier Matthew Funiciello, and Republican Elise Stefanik. According to a poll released last week by WWNY-TV & Siena College, Ms. Stefanik leads the race with 50% of poll respondents saying that they would vote for her, followed by Mr. Woolf with 37%, and Mr. Funiciello with 8%. All three candidates are considered controversial, with questions raised about both Stefanik’s and Woolf’s residency status in the district, and Funicello’s controversial views on the events of September 11th, 2001.
The NY-21 district has traditionally been viewed as a Republican district, but in recent years has trended towards being a middle-of-the-road district, making this year’s election with no incumbent one that is receiving a high level of national attention and money. Another election relevant to the North Country is the New York State Gubernatorial election, with Democrat Andrew Cuomo seeking a second term. Governor Cuomo is being challenged by Republican Robert Astorino, who currently serves as the Westchester County Executive. Governor Cuomo is widely expected to win the race, currently holding a 25-point margin over Mr. Astorino according the the latest New York Times & CBS News poll.