Saranac Lake, NY, Oct 06, 2010 — Republicans have been looking for opportunities to make surprise gains in this November's Senate races. Some polls have shown that even in New York, they might have an outside chance at upsetting freshman Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand. Gillibrand once represented a big chunk of the North Country, but as Brian Man reports, she's still introducing herself to voters in other parts of the state.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Sep 24, 2010 — Doug Hoffman's decision to stay in the NY-23 race comes as a severe blow to Matt Doheny, the businessman from Watertown.

Doheny prevailed yesterday in the Republican primary. He had hoped to use this week as a kind of victory lap after a bruising primary, as he pivots to face Bill Owens.

Despite Hoffman's challenge from the right, Doheny told Brian Mann that he thinks his message will be strong enough to prevail in November.  Go to full article

Old Forge, NY, Sep 21, 2010 — Exactly six weeks remain until election day. Here in northern New York, Republicans are pushing hard to unseat three sitting Democrats, congressmen Mike Arcuri, Scott Murphy, and Bill Owens. These races could help decide which party holds a majority in the House of Representatives.

But new polls published over the last few days by the Siena Research Institute show that in two of these races the Republican candidates are struggling to catch up.

Brian Mann spoke in-depth with Siena pollster Steven Greenberg, who says Republicans Chris Gibson and Richard Hanna need to lock down the loyalty of GOP voters. "It is key for both of the Republican candidates...to bring the base back home," Greenberg says.

He calls the 24th district House race "incredibly competitive," but says the 20th district race will be more of a struggle for Gibson. "I think the 20th definitely has the potential to be a competitive race," he adds.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Sep 13, 2010 — Republicans are expected to dominate this November's mid-term elections. But to win a majority in the House, they'll likely need to capture at least a handful of Democratic seats in states like New York, where the GOPs track record has been dismal.

Republican leaders in New York think they have a very real shot at a comeback. They're targeting five conservative-leaning districts, including three here in the North Country.

As Brian Mann reports, Democrats are scrambling to stem the tide.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Sep 08, 2010 — Retired Army Colonel Chris Gibson is running as a Republican in New Yorks' 20th district House race. He hopes to unseat Democrat Scott Murphy from Glens Falls.

Gibson grew up in Columbia County and served at Fort Drum during a military career that spanned more than two decades.

During a trip to Lake Placid yesterday, he sat down with Brian Mann to talk about the economy, the size of government, and border security.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Sep 08, 2010 — In their final debate last night, Republicans Matt Doheny and Doug Hoffman both claimed to be the true conservative running for congress in the 23rd district.

The two men, who hope to unseat Democrat Bill Owens, promised to shrink big government and cut taxes.  Go to full article

Plattsburgh, NY, Sep 02, 2010 — Matt Doheny and Doug Hoffman slugged it out last night in Plattsburgh, when the two Republicans met for their first debate.

They're fighting for the chance to face Democratic Representative Bill Owens in the November election.

With the primary just two weeks away, both men agreed on most of the issues.

But they spent ninety minutes questioning each other's integrity and arguing over who has the best shot to reclaim a House seat that was once a Republican stronghold.

As Brian Mann reports, more than 200 people turned out to hear what the two men had to say.  Go to full article

Plattsburgh, NY, Sep 02, 2010 — This week's debate between Doug Hoffman and Matt Doheny in the NY-23 Republican Primary was fierce and raw at times, but the two men also laid out a staunchly conservative agenda, promising to repeal President Barack Obama's healthcare plan, opposing same-sex marriage and embryonic stem cell research, arguing for an end to earmark projects in the North Country and a full stop to stimulus spending. The debate was organized by UNYTEA, one of the region's largest tea party groups.  Go to full article

Glens Falls, NY, Sep 01, 2010 — Representative Scott Murphy toured the North Country yesterday, visiting Lake Placid, Keene and North Hudson.

Murphy is a Democrat from Glens Falls who represents the 20th district. He's running hard to win a first full term in congress.

He faces Republican challenger Chris Gibson, a former Army colonel from Columbia County.

As Brian Mann reports, Murphy faces a very different political climate from last year, when he squeaked by in a special election.  Go to full article

Sep 01, 2010 — In a sit-down interview this week with North Country Public Radio, Rep. Scott Murphy said that his political identity is distinct from that of his national party going into this fall's midterm election.

Will voters buy that argument, despite Murphy's support for key elements of the Democratic agenda?

In a district where registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats, that question may define whether or not Murphy wins a full first term in his race with Republican challenger Chris Gibson.

Here is Rep. Murphy's unedited conversation with Brian Mann.  Go to full article