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GOP targets Jack Davis with new mailer

By Howard B. Owens

There was a time when Republican Jane Corwin and her GOP handlers focused their attack-ad firepower on Democrat Kathy Hochul in the special election race to fill the NY-26 seat vacated by Shirtless Chris Lee.

Then, last week, a Siena Poll showed Corwin's potential vote percentage trailing the GOP registration advantage in the district, with Democrat Kathy Hochul holding to near even with the registration numbers.

Meanwhile, Jack Davis, on the Tea Party line, isn't far behind either frontrunner and poll numbers suggest Davis, who ran two previous times for the seat as a Democrat, is drawing votes from Republican Corwin more than Democrat Hochul.

The Buffalo News reports that the poll has prompted GOP strategists to put Davis in their cross hairs.

Now the GOP is ratcheting up last week’s verbal criticism of Davis into mailers delivered throughout the district linking him to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and “liberal Democrats.”

“Meet the Real Jack Davis: A Liberal Democrat That Must Be Stopped,” screams the headline on one mailed piece. Another claims he supported Pelosi and President Obama while accepting contributions from disgraced Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-Harlem.

“With a record like this, how can we trust Jack Davis?” asks the mailer, featuring photos of Pelosi, Obama and Rangel. 

Davis responded with a statement sent to the media today.

This proves that both parties are corrupt and will do anything to protect the status quo.

Both parties supported trade deals like NAFTA that ship our jobs overseas. President Obama and Speaker Boehner are now collaborating to ram the next NAFTA through Congress, and both Jane Corwin and Kathy Hochul will vote for it.

Both parties supported bailouts for Wall Street and the big banks. Both parties supported tax breaks for multinationals that make billions in profits and pay zero taxes.

Both parties sold out our country and now to make us pay for it all, Republican Jane Corwin wants to replace Medicare with vouchers that stick it to our seniors. Democrat Kathy Hochul, of course, wants to raise taxes again.

Republican Jane Corwin will listen to Speaker Boehner. Democrat Kathy Hochul will listen to Nancy Pelosi. If you vote for me, there will be only one voice I listen to -- and that will be the people of Western New York.

Your voice will finally be heard. No more trade deals that ship our jobs overseas. No more bailouts for Wall Street. No more tax breaks for multinationals.

We need a different perspective and a different approach. As a businessman, I fought to create and keep jobs here, and as your Congressman I will fight for your job -- not Wall Street.

I cannot be bought. Jane Corwin and Kathy Hochul cannot be trusted.

That is the difference in this race -- two parties that sold us out to Wall Street, or an independent who will fight for you.  

The Buffalo News article concludes:

Meanwhile, there is still no indication that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — which champions election of Democrats to the House — has any plans to financially support Hochul despite the Siena poll showing her trailing Corwin by only five percentage points in the primarily Republican district.

But Erie County Democratic Chairman Leonard R. Lenihan said he remains “hopeful” the Washington support will materialize.

“I think Kathy is coming on strong and victory is within reach,” he said. “Everything the campaign is doing is aimed at gaining support and winning the election.”

Chris Charvella

If Langworthy and Co. needed that Siena poll to figure out that Jack is going to cause them trouble, then they're a lot worse at this than I thought.

May 3, 2011, 8:24pm Permalink
Lorie Longhany

I almost choked on my cheerios when I read that one.

Jack's been a card carrying Republican almost his entire life with the exception of the couple of cycles he was running against Reynolds. He only switched to Democrat after being dissed by Dick Cheney at a 'Republican insider' event he attended.

May 3, 2011, 8:32pm Permalink
Daniel Jones

You know what Jack Davis has done in this race? Proven himself to be a man of integrity. I still think that Jack is a racist for his views on immigration....and I still would not support him, even had he won the primary in 2008, because I vehementely disagree with many of his views. However, no one can ever say that Jack doesn't stand up for what he believes in. Corwin is running scared because conservatives who don't want someone else to tow the party line above principals may cast a vote for Jack. Good for him and shame on her. This shows her desperation.

May 3, 2011, 9:43pm Permalink
Ed Gentner

Jane Corwin's campaign is in panic mode with three weeks left until the election. Republicans thought they would have a coronation with Jane Corwin on the ballot.

The smear tactics and outright false claims by the Corwin campaign has become predictable never letting facts get in the way. We hear very little from Corwin on the subject of her ringing endorsement and support of the Republican budget plan of Paul Ryan's or her statement that she would have voted for it if she could have. The the Republican budget plan of Paul Ryan that replaces medicare with a voucher leaving seniors at the mercy of private insurance companies, guts medicaid coverage that provides health care for millions of seniors and disabled needing health care that is beyond their financial reach, while supporting continued preferential tax treatment for Wall Street investment banks, hedge fund managers, and corporations that export American jobs and industry.

Corwin never explains her accepting money while a memeber of the NY State Assembly from nursing homes then voting to limit their liability when patients are harmed, mistreated, injured or abused while in their care.

Time after time Jane Corwin has shown that she is more of the same business as usual politician who will say anything regardless of fact to get your vote then turn her back on the voters as soon as she is sworn in. In the three weeks left before the election I hope that Jack Davis's campaign exposes the real Jane Corwin and what she has actually done both in private and as an elected official, with just the facts.

I support Jack Davis because he has proven himself to be a honorable man of integrity who believes in the greatness of America and the greatness of the American people. Jack Davis has a record of public service and generosity to our community that is unmatched by any of the candidates in this race, multi-million dollar contributions to the University of Buffalo Engineering School, putting his business into a trust for his employees, and myriad other under the radar contributions over the years. Jack Davis has my vote, if you want to change Washington your vote for Jack Davis is the first step in that direction.

May 4, 2011, 8:27am Permalink
Steve Ferrando

Jane Corwins' nose is growing longer and longer as we near this election. She seems to think everyone around her is a liberal but her. She is nothing but a follower not a leader. Hochul has done quite a bit for her area but again she falls into the follower mode. Jack Davis is a renegade but at least he is consistent with his message. He ran a couple of close contests against Tom Reynolds and seems to be the lesser of the three evils.

May 4, 2011, 9:35am Permalink
Ed Gentner

John, I haven't written off Kathy Hochul, I think she has been consistant in her meassage and hasn't crossed over to smear tactics, lies and innuendo as Jane Corwin has. If anything I believe Hochul is a far better candidate than Corwin and is doing a fantastic job as the Erie County Clerk and would like to see her continue it that job, but the time has come for our district to send someone to Washington who will be our voice and represent us with an independent voice, that someone is Jack Davis.

Jack Davis could have retired and cashed out, but he hasn't, instead he has spent his hard earnd money, not money left to him, his money to push for change. Change in the industrial and trade policies that have decimated our economy and turned our once thriving industrial area into countless brownfields and vacant commercial space, and has seen an exodus from Western New York in the last couple of generations. Jack Davis has put his money where his mouth is when it comes to putting money back into our community in a quest for a better future for all of us, our children and grandchildren.

I am a life long Democrat and have voted in every election I have been elegible to vote in, I have worked on many campaigns over the years, but I have yet to come across anyone who will fight as hard as Jack Davis to make changes that will benefit the whole community like he does. No, I am not a paid operative, I support Jack Davis because he has proven that he will not rest while there is a chance to make those changes that will restore our American economy and bring back good paying jobs that represent long term gainful employment to our country.

May 4, 2011, 12:12pm Permalink

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