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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Special Election Season Begins


Since President Obama plucked at least three advisers and cabinet members from elected positions, and some of those positions were then filled by other elected officials, we have a spate of special elections to watch as these empty posts are filled. Of particular note is the 20th House district in New York that was vacated when Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed to replace Hillary Clinton as senator. The district had traditionally trended Republican before Gillibrand’s win in 2006, and Republicans have voiced their intention to try and win it back in the March 31 election.

So far we’ve seen only positive, autobiographical ads from Democrat Scott Murphy and Republican Jim Tedisco, but we’ll keep an eye on this race and the other two special elections to make sure the candidates are not stretching the facts.

The Scott Murphy Ad:

And the Tedisco one: