Murphy Wins Indy Line Battle

From the New York Daily News

Murphy Wins Indy Line Battle (Updated)

March 1, 2009

In a setback to Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco's congressional bid, Democratic newcomer Scott Murphy has landed the Independence Party line in the 20th CD battle after furious lobbying by both sides, Indy insiders said.

Both Murphy and Tedisco interviewed for the line (Row C), but state party officials, who control the endorsement because the district crosses multiple county lines, voted unanimously to back Murphy.

UPDATE: Adding to the significance of this decision: It's the first time the line has gone to a Democrat in the 20th CD.

State Independence Party Chairman Frank MacKay said what swayed things for Murphy was the fact that he is "really from outside the political landscape," adding: "He's an entrepreneur, and someone who I think will bring a lot to Washington if he gets there."

"It's certainly not a slight to Jim Tedisco," MacKay said. "We like him. He's a friend. But we're really excited and proud to be supporting Scott Murphy."

Tedisco has run with the Independence Party line in every assembly election since the party's creation (it received official ballot status after Tom Golisano's first gubernatorial bid in 1994).

The endorsement decision, which was made yesterday, is the culmination of a fiercely fought lobbying battle that took place largely behind the scenes.

Gov. David Paterson and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith pushed hard for Murphy, party insiders said, while the Republican case was made by everyone from RNC Chairman Michael Steele to former Rep. Tom Reynolds, who used to head the NRCC.

The Independence line could be a make-or-break factor in the district, where there are 196,118 enrolled Republicans, 125,486 Democrats and 118,364 "blanks."

In 2006, Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand and then-GOP Rep. John Sweeney fought in court over the Indy line, with Sweeney coming out the victor. Even with Row C, he still lost in the general election.

In 2008, the Indy line went to Gillibrand's GOP challenger, Sandy Treadwell, who received 8,024 votes on it. Despite the fact that Treadwell had three lines (GOP, Indy and Conservative) to Gillibrand's two (Democrat and WFP), she won handily - 193,651 to 118,013. Barack Obama carried the district, too. (This paragraph is corrected).

The full court press by both the Democrats and Republicans for the Independence line this year is yet another sign of the importance of the 20th CD race.

National GOP leaders view the March 31 special election as a must-win that will signal a turnaround for their beleaguered party.

On the other side of the aisle, it's in Paterson's best interest to help Murphy after angering House Democratic leaders by plucking former Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand from relative obscurity to fill Hillary Clinton's US Senate seat and creating a vacancy in a difficult-to-defend GOP-dominated district.

Last week, the Siena NY poll showed Tedisco leading Murphy, 46-34, with 45 percent of independent voters saying they would be willing to vote for Tedisco on the GOP line.