Republicans Appear Poised to Pick Up NY House Seat

It's been barely three weeks since Gov. David Paterson (D) appointed ex-Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) to the Senate, but we already have two nominees to fill her seat, and today we got a date -- 3/31 -- for a special election. And now venture capitalist Scott Murphy (D) gives us the first TV ad of the race. The Murphy Putnam-produced ad is airing on broadcast TV in the Albany market.

Given the short timeframe for this special, it was imperative that Murphy get off to a fast start. His challenge was highlighted in a poll released last week by his opponent, Assemb. Min. Leader Jim Tedisco (R). The survey showed Tedisco with a name ID over 60%, while Murphy registered a score in the mid-teens. It also showed Tedisco with a wide, 50-29% early lead. To counter this GOP advantage, Murphy has the ability to self-fund, and has pledged to spend over $200K on the race.

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One of Scott Murphy's companies, Small World Software, incurred three tax liens for failure to pay taxes. More than nine years later, two liens are still outstanding and Murphy refuses to accept responsibility, even though official documents prove he owned the business when the taxes were due.

The three tax liens include:

• $20,805.25 (satisfied) [1] [2]
• $445.85 (outstanding) [3]
• $298.50 (outstanding) [4]