Politics

Governor Andrew Cuomo doesn’t have any set plans to bring his sky-high approval rating to a tight central New York congressional race.

Cuomo said during a visit in Syracuse on Tuesday that he’ll be making endorsements soon. But he doesn’t know yet if he’ll be campaigning for Democratic candidate Dan Maffei.

A political ad is making waves in the race for the 24th congressional district. At issue, is a piece of legislation regarding federal funding for abortion, specifically the language regarding rape victims who want an abortion.

Rep. Richard Hanna (R-Barneveld) and Democrat Dan Lamb sat inside an Elks Lodge in Cortland passing a microphone back and forth for two hours Saturday. It was the first time the two debated in their contest for the newly drawn 22nd Congressional District that stretches from the Southern Tier through central New York.

Both pro- and anti-gay marriage forces are claiming victory after a split primary result in two key state senate races. Meanwhile, Governor Andrew Cuomo says two pro-same sex marriage Republican senators who survived primary challengers were targeted by “extremists” within the GOP.

Amy Tresidder, the Democratic candidate running against Republican state Senator Patty Ritchie, is accusing the incumbent of misusing taxpayer funds to boost her campaign. 

Representative Ann Marie Buerkle has challenged her two competitors to participate in a series of four joint town hall meetings before the November 6 election.

Congressional races around the country are likely to heat up now that the House of Representatives and the Senate have recessed until after the election. In the Syracuse area, the re-match between Ann Marie Buerkle and Dan Maffei is statistically a tie, according to the latest poll.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner is criticizing campaign rhetoric used during one of last week’s state Senate primaries.  Three of the four Republican state senators who broke with the party to vote to legalize gay marriage last year faced tough primary battles September 13, and one of those contests turned particularly nasty in the closing days.

It's a quiet primary day in Central New York this year.  There are only scattered elections across the area on the day that lets voters, registered in political parties, choose who will be on the November ballot.

The youth vote famously played a large role in Barack Obama’s victory in 2008, but one of the big questions of this year’s election is how young voter turnout will compare with that of the previous election. This year, SUNY Oswego is playing its part in helping students register to vote.

Dan Lamb is the Democrat candidate running against central New York Congressman Richard Hanna, and he has been introducing himself to voters in the new 22nd congressional district saying that he is just like them.