26th Congressional Candidates Campaign, House Speaker in WNY
By: Caroline Tucker
Updated: May 20, 2011
There are just two weeks until the
special election in the 26th Congressional District.
Recent polls show the race
is close.
And a sign of that, Speaker
of the House John Boehner is stumping for Republican Jane Corwin.
When you are running for Congress,
endorsements can be important.
"We have two weeks where we've got to
win this race. Forget about polls because polls have never elected anyone,"
said Rep. John Boehner, (R)
Speaker of the House.
House Speaker John Boehner
made a pit stop in the Buffalo suburb, Depew, Monday afternoon.
He says Jane Corwin is the
woman to beat.
"Jane will work with us to
stand up to Nancy Pelosi and the liberals in Washington D.C. and say no to the bailouts," said Rep. Boehner.
Recent polls have put this
race tight between the candidates.
They all agree they are
very different on the issues.
On Monday, Corwin defended
her position on a controversial Medicare overhaul plan.
"We need to have a
program that provides for our senior citizens and will be there in the future. So any plan that provides for people 55 and over so their benefits that don't go away and provides a plan for the long haul, I am in
support of," said Jane Corwin, (R) Congressional Candidate.
A couple miles down the
road.
Her democratic opponent, Kathy Hochul, was surrounded by seniors and an endorsement of her own.
The National Committee to
Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
"This election will
mean a lot to the future of the Medicare program, to the future of seniors today and younger people who will need
Medicare," said Max Richtman,
Executive Vice President for NCPSSM.
Hochul says she won't
raise taxes on middle class and small businesses to fix the Medicare crisis.
But may turn to the
wealthy to help.
"This is scary, this woman who is sitting in the corner with tears in here eyes, they are genuinely scared, I take that to heart. I am going to go to Washington and I am never going to forget them," said Kathy Hochul, (D)
Congressional Candidate.
Tea party candidate jack
Davis also stumped for votes in Depew.
He spent time at a hot dog
shop trying to reach out for the votes he says counts - workers, middle class,
and farmers.
"I am a marine and a
patriot and I don't turn away from a fight. I am representing the people and they need somebody like them to
fight for them in Washington," said Jack Davis, Tea Party Candidate
In the end, this race may
come down to voter turnout.
There is a fourth candidate, Green Party candidate Ian Murphy.
The district has been
without representation since February when Chris Lee resigned amid scandal.
The special election is
set for Tuesday May 24th.
