National Public Radio has this story about the New York election for U.S. House, 21st district, in the northern part of the state. It is unusual for any minor party nominee for a U.S. House race to get this much attention, but NPR focuses on Matt Funicello, the Green Party nominee. The incumbent, Congressman Bill Owens, a Democrat, is not running for re-election. In 2012, this district was one of the closest U.S. House races in the nation. The story says that Funicello is at 8% in the polls.
The conventional wisdom is that Funicello is injuring the Democratic nominee. But because Funicello is participating in the debates, another side to his impact on the race is the extent to which his views, as expressed before a large audience, might persuade undecided voters to vote for the Democrat, because two voices making the same point are sometimes more persuasive than a single voice; and on some issues, Funicello and the Democratic nominee agree, whereas the Republican nominee does not. The book “Predictably irrational” contains experimental evidence to bolster this conclusion.
So the GOP make pick up a congressional member from New York State?
How many GOP members would there be of the New York State Congressional Delegation if this Republican wins?
New York States decades ago had a good number of Republican office holders – congressional as well as statewide, but a good number of Republicans have moved out of state making New York State even more liberal than it once was.