Republicans Play The Pelosi Card In NY-26

By Josh Kraushaar  //  May 12, 2011 | 5:08 p.m.
Updated: May 13, 2011 | 5:25 p.m.

After spending the last several days with their fire trained on independent Jack Davis, Republicans are recognizing that Democrat Kathy Hochul is their bigger threat in the special election to replace disgraced former Rep. Chris Lee (R-N.Y.).

Republican Jane Corwin is up with a new ad connecting her Democratic challenger with former House Speaker and current Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi - a frequent boogeyman used by Republicans during the 2010 midterms. Pelosi's disapproval rating in the district was 67 percent, according to a Siena poll conducted in late April.

"Why do Kathy Hochul and Nancy Pelosi get along so well?" a narrator says, as the ad shows footage of Hochul praising Pelosi on MSNBC this week. "Maybe it's just mutual admiration. Kathy Hochul: just what you'd expect from Nancy Pelosi's candidate."

Meanwhile, Republicans are looking to turn the tables on Hochul, who has been blasting Corwin for supporting a GOP budget plan that would alter the entitlement system for seniors.

The National Republican Congressional Committee went up with an ad today accusing a vulnerable Democrat, Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), of "bankrupting Medicare" because he backed the president's health care law. Expect a similar line of attack against Hochul in the days ahead. As Corwin and Davis have received the most fire in recent days, Hochul has escaped relatively scot-free. One Republican operative tracking the race said that while Davis' numbers have declined over the last several days, Corwin hasn't expanded her lead over Hochul significantly. It's a reminder that, in the end, this could well be a Republican versus Democrat race, if Davis' numbers continue to sink. And that the respective messages on Medicare and entitlements are poised to resonate even further in the days to come, with nearly a million dollars of outside advertising being spent in the district.

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