As a political reporter, my aim is always to be objective and non-partisan in my reporting.

I will not succeed this time.

The Jefferson County Young Republicans served a vegetarian chili Saturday at the 11th Annual North County Chili Cook-Off that was so tasty, it had me seriously reconsidering if my own chili concoctions ever needed meat again.

Brian Peck, the group's president, said the four-bean recipe was a creation of his sister-in-law, Maria. Mr. Peck dubbed it "the chili that ended the Cold War," and dressed in a "Point Break"-esque Ronald Reagan mask to sell each scoop. Julia Robbins got style points for breaking out a Reagan/Bush '84 T-shirt, while Jeremiah Maxon sold his role as a Secret Service agent by diving on the dead president whenever anyone made a sound approximating gunfire. John Peck, Maria's husband and treasurer of the Young Republicans, offered no shtick. He just served the damn fine chili.

The group made more than six gallons, but ran out of stock around 1:30 p.m., Brian Peck said.

Few people, however, pushed their chili harder than the Dynamic Donkeys, a group of energetic Jefferson County Democratic committee members and Young Democrats who offered up a tasty buffalo chicken chili near the front entrance of the Dulles State Office Building. Their table, replete with "Dems the Party" balloons for the kids, moved 10 gallons of Mike Kinnie's recipe by 1 p.m., according to the local party committee's official blog.

Their chili was the one I had most anticipated tasting before I came and I was not disappointed.

In total, I sampled about 20 bowls of chili from various groups before my insides declared, "No mas!"

When it came time to help pick the "People's Choice Award" recipient, my wife and I couldn't agree on a favorite. I liked the bourbon-marinated steak added to the Ives Hill Retirement Community's brew, while she enjoyed the sweet and spicy offering that I think came from the North Country Children's Clinic.

We both, agreed, however that the Republicans' chili was a close second.

While neither party could round up enough supporters to take home top prizes, they both are to be commended for taking part for the first time in an event that raises needed funds for the Volunteer Transportation Center. Kudos to everyone who came out Saturday.

Nicholas J. Vaugh said Monday that he’ll seek the Republican nomination in the 118th Assembly District in an effort to unseat Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa.

“Albany is broken, dysfunctional and the north country’s voice is unheard,” the Ogdensburg city councilor said. “Now, more than ever, we need bold, new leadership to deal with the challenges and hardships that lie before us. I am that bold, new leader.”

Mr. Vaugh, a 22-year-old senior at Clarkson University, Potsdam, is the first in his party to announce. But he may soon have competition for the nomination.

St. Lawrence County Legislator David W. Forsythe said he’s considering a bid for the GOP nomination as well, and the Lisbon resident told local Conservative Party members that he’d like their line too if he runs.

Jefferson County Legislator Philip N. Reed, Fishers Landing, is also considering a run, according to Mr. Vaugh. Mr. Reed has previously declined to discuss his intentions. He did not return a phone call seeking comment Monday.

The district predominately follows the St. Lawrence River, encompassing towns between Cape Vincent and Massena. It also includes the city of Watertown and the towns of Canton and Potsdam.

Mr. Vaugh said he’ll also seek the Conservative and Independence parties’ endorsement so that he can appear on their ballot lines. The councilor said he has commitments from donors that will exceed $50,000 by month’s end.

The hopeful plans a three-pronged platform of job creation, fiscal accountability and reform.

“My opponent since day one has voted for a record amount of increased spending, taxes and regulations,” said Mr. Vaugh of Mrs. Russell. “That’s something we’re going to contrast.”

The councilor has routinely criticized the Democratic assemblywoman’s support of the 2009-10 state budget, which included an 8.7 percent increase in spending and $7 billion in new or higher taxes and fees.

Mr. Vaugh is also advocating against some of Gov. David A. Paterson’s proposals in the 2010-11 executive budget, including joining local leaders opposed to closing the Ogdensburg Correctional Facility. He’s also introduced a City Council resolution asking state leaders to stop a one cent per ounce tax on soft drinks and sodas.

Mr. Vaugh will graduate May 8 from Clarkson, where he majored in political science and business. The councilor said, for now, he’ll focus on his Assembly bid instead of looking for other employment.

Jefferson County GOP Chairman Donald G.M. Coon III said he met Mr. Vaugh while the two worked on Robert W. “Bobby” Cantwell’s unsuccessful challenge to Mrs. Russell in 2008.

“He seemed to be a nice enough guy, very ambitious and pretty accomplished at a young age,” the chairman said Monday. “My hat’s off to him for knowing it’s something he wants to do. But certainly, there’s room for others to join the race.”

St. Lawrence County Chairwoman Nancy K. Martin could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Vaugh doesn't yet have a Web site, but you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

John "Sean" Coffey, a former federal prosecutor and Democratic hopeful for attorney general, will meet with county party chairs in Oswego and Jefferson counties Monday.

He's meeting with Jefferson County officials at 8 a.m. in Watertown, but Mr. Coffey's team hasn't announced any public schedule.

Mr. Coffey is part of a crowded field of potential hopefuls, which include Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice and former state Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo.

The seat is held by Democrat Andrew M. Cuomo, who has yet to publicly announce if he'll re-seek election or run for governor.

Potential Republican candidates include Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan and Warren County DA Kate Hogan, according to the New York Daily News.

Assemblyman William A. Barclay, R-Pulaski, has signed a self-created "unity pledge," vowing to support whatever candidate emerges from September's Republican primary in the 23rd Congressional District.

He's also sent copies to his three potential opponents: Lake Placid accountant Douglas L. Hoffman, Watertown businessman Matthew A. Doheny and Franklin County Legislator Paul A. Maroun, Tupper Lake. Mr. Doheny told the Syracuse Post-Standard on Wednesday that he would also support whoever wins the primary.

UPDATE: Mr. Doheny issued a statement Friday morning that mirrors the pledge:

"I expect to be the Republican nominee for Congress this fall. Should voters choose otherwise in a primary, I will support the Republican nominee just like I did last summer. With the Obama administration proposing a budget that borrows one dollar for every three it spends, securing a Republican majority in Congress is vital and electing a Republican from the 23rd District is a must."

Mr. Hoffman, through a spokesman, has refused to entertain the possibility that he'll lose the Republican primary.

“With all due respect, I did not ask Doug Hoffman's spokesman that question, I asked Hoffman,” said Mr. Barclay in a statement. “Surely he should be able to speak for himself on such a simple question. Ducking the question by repeatedly sending out a spokesperson to spout boastful speculation is an affront to Republicans."

Mr. Barclay concluded: “Each of the prospective candidates for Congress should be willing to make it clear to Republican voters that whatever personal vanity any one of us might have, that is far less important to us than is the need, for the good of our country and the people of Central and Northern New York, to defeat Bill Owens and help reverse the direction that Washington is taking."

Here's the full release:

CANTON — When Republican Rick A. Lazio last stumped in Northern New York for statewide office, his party was at the beginning of its decade-long freefall from power.

Mr. Lazio returns here Thursday as a gubernatorial hopeful hell-bent on reclaiming upstate, upending the status quo and “reminding the politicians who works for who.”

“If we elect David Paterson or Andrew Cuomo, it’s business as usual,” said Mr. Lazio, a former congressman and one-time challenger to Hillary Rodham Clinton for U.S. Senate. “But if the people get behind me and my message about lowering spending, living within our means, lowering property taxes, creating jobs, expecting better outcomes, pushing schools to achieve, (and) restoring ethics in Albany, then the politicos in Albany are going to sit up and take notice. And they’ll know that they ignore the public’s will at their peril.”

Mr. Lazio’s message has taken root with several county GOP chairmen and party leaders, pushing him over the 51 percent he’ll need from the state committee to win the nomination.

But those in the north country are, so far, reserved.

Nancy Martin, St. Lawrence County Republican chairwoman, is hosting Mr. Lazio at The Club, 25 Court St., for a 7 p.m. private meeting with her executive committee and local elected officials. But she doesn’t anticipate taking a vote to endorse a gubernatorial candidate at the meeting.

Jefferson County GOP Chairman Donald G.M. Coon III had encouraged Christopher C. Collins, Erie County’s executive, to run. Mr. Collins dropped out last week. Mr. Coon has previously said his committee has no immediate plans to endorse a candidate for governor.

Mr. Lazio is unconcerned that he hasn’t sewn up support here.

“This all takes time and face-to-face interaction,” he said. “People need to be able to see me up in the north country and get a feel for what I’m talking about and see: Am I in touch with what they’re worrying about?”

Mr. Lazio is campaigning on what he’s calling “the three principles,” a platform of fiscal conservatism, job creation and ethics reform. But he said Thursday he’s also interested in regional issues, such as U.S.-Canadian trade and border access issues, milk price volatility and small business challenges.

“I don’t presume to know all the answers,” he said. “But I want to be a very well informed governor when I take over.”

Mr. Lazio has, of yet, no other announced stops in the north country Thursday.

Two north country state senators were caught in the crossfire when Republicans and Democrats decided to spar over a proposed amendment barring legislators from taking campaign cash from members of the Public Integrity Commission.

Republicans planned to attach the amendment to a bill sponsored by Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, which would prohibit trustee members at state community colleges from accepting gifts of more than $75. Trustees are currently exempt from state limits on gifts.

Democratic leaders tabled the bill before the amendment could be offered and then accused their counterparts of “stunning hypocrisy” by documenting $232,345 in contributions made by members of the now-defunct State Commission on Investigations. That agency, a predecessor to the Public Integrity Commission, was in charge of investigating improprieties among legislators.

Most of the contributions Democrats outlined went to former Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick, and the Senate Republican Campaign Committee.

But state Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-Rome, was singled out for $5,565 in contributions he received from two former members.

Rayan S. Aguam, the senator's spokesman, noted that a $5,000 contribution from Robert Price, New York City, came in September 2006, before the former Oneida County executive was elected to the Legislature.

G. Kevin Ludlow, an Oneida County resident, is a lifelong friend of the lawmaker, Mr. Aguam said. The attorney served on the commission from May 2004 to June 2006. The Democrats documented five political contributions from Mr. Ludlow during that time, four of which went to Mr. Griffo's predecessor, state Sen. Raymond A. Meier, R-Western. Mr. Griffo, then a candidate for office, received $120 from Mr. Ludlow in February 2006.

Mr. Griffo received four contributions, totaling $445, from Mr. Ludlow after the attorney resigned from the commission.

The senator, his spokesman said, “didn't have any say on whether those two got to the positions they were at.”

“There was no quid-pro-quo,” added Mr. Aguam.

The spokesman said his boss supports the amendment his party leaders tried to introduce Tuesday that would prohibit statewide elected officials, legislators, candidates for statewide office from taking contributions from Public Integrity commissioner or employees.

The amendment came after a Monday report in the New York Daily News that four Public Integrity commissioners had given $5,000 since 2007 to campaigns of Democrats running for statewide office.

Andrew G. Mangione, Mr. Aubertine's spokesman, said the “hostile amendment” attached to his boss' bill “was too narrowly focused to be taken seriously and not germane to the senator's bill, which deals only with the gift allowances for community college boards of trustees, not campaign contributions or legislative ethics reform.”

“About two weeks ago, the senator and his colleagues passed an ethics reform package more substantial than anything that's passed through the two houses before,” said Mr. Mangione. “And if the minority conference is serious about reform, they will join with the majority to override the governor's veto.”

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, has formally asked Gov. David A. Paterson to remove the Ogdensburg Correctional Facility from his list of proposed prison closures.

Her arguments, according to a press release are:

• The prison is needed to house the number of inmates in the state: According to the Department of Corrections Inmate Population Breakdown report there are currently 4,000 double-bunked beds. Even further, maximum security prisons are currently at 121.7 percent capacity and medium security at 94.5 percent capacity including double-bunking.
• The success of the Ogdensburg facility: At the Ogdensburg facility there are rare inmate on inmate incidents as well as inmate on staff incidents. The facility runs smoothly and repeatedly scores high on their regular inspections.

  Lower operating costs than other facilities: Ogdensburg Correctional receives free steam heat based on a 25 year contract that the state's Office of Mental Health has with a private facility located on the psychiatric center's grounds. They are currently working with OMH to make changes to their contract so that they can expand their operation to generate 26 megawatts of power from biomass, creating approximately 50 permanent new green jobs.

• Costs can be cut elsewhere: Reducing the administrative staff at the Department of Corrections in Albany could save $15 million, not replacing the hot water boiler house in the facility because there is no need could save $9.4 million.

Prison

WASHINGTON — First-term lawmakers may not have much pull in Congress, but Rep. William L. Owens sees one area where maybe they can make a difference — in changing the partisan tone.

Mr. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, led other first-termers Wednesday in writing to the presidents of the Democratic and Republican freshman classes, asking for an informal meeting of new House members “to discuss ideas and speak freely about issues facing our constituents.”

They cited President Obama's recent appearance at the House Republican retreat, in which the president took questions from members of the opposite party.

Other New York lawmakers signing the letter were Reps. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls, and Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam.

Frosh

A controversial bill on extending the rights of farm laborers will be the subject of a March 1 hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee, its chairman Darrel J. Aubertine said Thursday.

"We need to better assess the impact of this bill and be sure that we have the facts regarding how this bill will affect our economy, our farm workers and our family farms," said Mr. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, in a statement. "We've lost more than a farm a day in New York State over the past 30 years and there's no question that we cannot afford to lose another industry, especially agriculture, which is a cornerstone of our economy.”

The hearing will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Hearing Room A, Legislative Office Building.

The bill's aim is to provide overtime pay, rest days, collective bargaining and unemployment benefits to farm laborers. Mr. Aubertine and other opponents, including the New York Farm Bureau, have argued that those regulations would force farmers to cut jobs, limit employees' hours or close their farms.

Mr. Aubertine successfully appealed to Senate Temporary President Malcolm Smith to have the bill sent to the Agriculture Committee, even though that request was first denied by Senate Labor Chairman George D. Onorato, D-Brooklyn. The bill passed the Labor Committee, 9-3, with four voting 'aye without recommendation.'

WASHINGTON — Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh voted today against raising the limit on the public debt, bucking his party's leadership on a close and controversial vote.

Mr. Owens joined with moderate and conservative Democrats in opposing the measure, which could give Republicans more ammunition in their effort to cast the majority party as undisciplined spenders.

The resolution raises the federal debt ceiling to $14.3 trillion. It passed 217-212, with Democrats casting all the “yes” votes.

Mr. Owens was one of the last lawmakers to vote on the measure, when passage appeared narrow but likely.

Assemblyman William A. Barclay, sounding very much like a candidate-in-waiting, slammed Douglas L. Hoffman for comments the Lake Placid accountant made about being assured of the Republican nomination in the 23rd Congressional District.

Mr. Hoffman told the Times Union's Jimmy Vielkind that "there's no question that I'm going to be the Republican and Conservative, on both ballots, in November."

"Doug Hoffman needs to quit acting so arrogant and state clearly and unequivocally whether he will support whichever candidate Republican primary election voters decide they want to be our candidate for Congress against Democrat Bill Owens," said Mr. Barclay, a Pulaski Republican, in a statement. "An election is by definition a question and you don't get the answer until the people step into the privacy of the voting booth and make their determination. We candidates can only ask – but it's the voters who decide.”

Mr. Barclay is one of three potential opponents of Mr. Hoffman in a Republican primary for the 23rd seat.

The assemblyman's press release echoes points made last fall by Dierdre K. Scozzafava, Mr. Hoffman's Republican opponent, namely:

• Mr. Hoffman finished second-to-last or last among nine hopefuls at all four GOP committee meetings last summer.
• The Conservative Party candidate praised the selection process, only to criticize the candidate it produced.
• Mr. Hoffman promised to support his party's pick, but broke that promise by seeking the Conservative Party nomination and running against Ms. Scozzafava
• Mr. Hoffman showed no grasp of local issues, and ducked debates.

Many residents knew all of this before they cast their vote in last fall's special election. And Mr. Hoffman got 46 percent of the vote on a minor party line. And Ms. Scozzafava got 5.7 percent. So there's an argument that could be made that they really didn't care about any of it.

Mr. Barclay vowed to sign a pledge saying he'd support whatever candidate - Mr. Hoffman, Matthew A. Doheny, Paul A. Maroun - emerged victorious from the primary and challenged Mr. Hoffman to do the same.

“To win back the congressional seat John McHugh use to hold, we Republicans will need to be united,” the assemblyman said. “I am committed to working for a united effort to defeat Owens. Is Doug Hoffman?”

UPDATE: Robert H. Ryan, Mr. Hoffman's spokesman, refused to entertain my question about what his candidate would do if he lost the Republican primary. He said: "“Doug Hoffman has broad based support throughout the district. He proved that last November and it was proven again in a poll released this January. He’s the front-runner in this race and he plans to be the nominee in both the Republican and Conservative parties.”

Mr. Barclay also urged his potential opponent to "urge the Conservative Party to hold off on making a selection until after the Republican primary instead of trying to blackmail Republicans with a threat of either back him or else he will try to cause us to lose to Owens.”

I agree with the assemblyman's central point that Republicans must be united if they stand any chance of unseating Mr. Owens. The GOP has already proved that a three-person race will not produce the result they're looking for.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Here's the whole release:

Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, has joined the House Army Caucus, a bipartisan group of 105 congress members who meet regularly to promote Army interests.

The caucus meets regularly with Army Secretary John M. McHugh and Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr.

“Fort Drum is critical to our national security interests and is doing a tremendous job at training our men and women in uniform who are preparing to defend America overseas," said Mr. Owens in a statement. "I plan to work every day in Congress for what is one of the most important parts of our community.”

The full list of members is here.

Republican Patricia A. Ritchie isn't a declared candidate for the 48th Senate District. But the St. Lawrence County clerk is already the target of an anonymously penned blog and a YouTube video denouncing her run.

"RINO Patty Ritchie is NOT a real Republican," the author of Oswego Tea Party writes. "The Party Chair may support Patty, but the TEA movement does not. If Patty wants the common, rank-and-file conservative support, she must be prepared to pledge to cut ALL taxes, cut the money train to school districts and teachers unions who waste our money and demand property tax hikes, pledge to be anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, and vote against the Long Island slicks who run the Republican Party (at least they think they do...for now). I don't think she can do it, not when she's agreed to take their money and was offered the Independence Party line on a silver platter."

The video provides an unflattering comparison between Mrs. Ritchie and Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava, the Republican candidate in last fall's special election in the 23rd Congressional District. Despite being picked by the GOP, Ms. Scozzafava's candidacy was upended by a more conservative challenger: Douglas L. Hoffman. The Lake Placid accountant won the backing of local TEA partiers, but did not win election.

The author provides little, if any, substantiation for his or her claims about Mrs. Ritchie or her record. And the YouTube video had just 45 views, despite being up for six days. The blog appears to have just one author, so it's impossible to determine if these views are shared by a majority of Oswego County conservatives.

I direct it to you not to give it credence, but to note that Mrs. Ritchie may have considerable work to do to win over these hard-line social and fiscal conservatives. Oswego County is a place she must carry by a substantial margin if she wants to unseat state Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent.

The author has no love for Mr. Aubertine, despite his anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage stance, saying: "Nobody wants to boot Aubertine and the downstate Dems from the senate majority more than me, but is this lady the one to do it? My friends certainly don't think too highly of her."

In fact, the author only seems to like Mr. Hoffman and has nothing nice to say about the accountant's potential challengers in the Republican primary, Matthew A. Doheny and William A. Barclay.

I wasn't here when Mrs. Ritchie ran against Mr. Aubertine in 2002, so I admittedly don't know a lot about her positions. But in a Sept. 8, 2002 Watertown Daily Times story, she explained her support for abortion rights.

"I'm personally against abortion but do not believe it should be a legislative item," she said. "Something like that should be a woman's decision. I'm against partial-birth abortion. At that point there's definitely a child."

In that article, she also voiced support for the death penalty, tax incentives for businesses, the "rooftop highway," and campaign finance reform, and opposition to gun control laws, school vouchers and incarcerating drug users who are convicted of non-violent crimes.

WASHINGTON — Rep. William L. Owens has introduced his first bill since joining Congress, proposing a tax credit for companies that add jobs in rural areas.

“We’re going to take whatever path is open to us” to pass the legislation, including tacking it onto a larger jobs bill Democrats are pushing through Congress, Mr. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, said in a telephone interview.

The bill, called the Rural Jobs Tax Credit Act, would provide a refundable tax credit to any business in a rural area that expands its payroll by at least an inflationary amount. The credit would account for 15 percent of additions to payroll in 2010 and 10 percent in 2011, Mr. Owens’s office reported.

Companies could be headquartered anywhere but would have to add the jobs in communties of fewer than 50,000 people.

Mr. Owens called for such a measure during his campaign. He said Wednesday that he is working to gain cosponsors, perhaps among upstate colleagues in the House.

The bill goes to the House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-Manhattan.

Two of the Rep. William L. Owens' staffers - Sean Magers, spokesman, and Jon Boughtin, senior legislative assistant - are profiled in today's edition of "Hill Climbers," a feature about up-and-comers in Washington produced by Roll Call.

The article contains several great tidbits, such as:

• Boughtin got the nickname "Bowtie," because people at his old gig at the DCCC couldn't pronounce his last name.
• He once doubled as a Caribou Coffee barista and intern for Rep. Harold Ford Jr.
• Magers is a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and is mostly likely that goofy kid you've seen crossing his arms, nodding his head and staring at his shoes the last time Vampire Weekend played the 9:30 Club. (I may have exaggerated this last point a bit.)

In all seriousness, congrats to these two guys for the write-up.

Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava said Tuesday that she opposes Gov. David A. Paterson’s budget proposal to allow cities and villages to raise the maximum gross receipts on utilities from 1 percent to 3 percent.

The Gouverneur Republican said the cost will be passed from the utility companies to consumers.

“The people of New York are being nickel-and-dimed out of their homes and businesses,” the assemblywoman said in a statement. “It never seems to end – new taxes are continually being created in order to make the taxpayers saddle the burden of Albany’s spending habits, and I will not vote for a budget that increases spending while passing the buck onto the people of New York.”

The state Senate today unanimously passed legislation, sponsored by Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, that allows county, city, town and village highway chiefs to more easily share services.

The legislation allows counties to rent machinery from cities, villages and towns, regardless of whether or not that municipality is located within its border. Current law only allows counties to rent machines from towns within their jurisdiction.

The legislation was endorsed by the Legislative Commission for Rural Resources, which Mr. Aubertine chairs. It now awaits an Assembly vote.

“This legislation lifts onerous and unjustifiable restrictions that have kept pro-active and cost-conscious municipalities from sharing services and equipment on a larger scale," said Mr. Aubertine in a statement. "This savings will help municipalities in their efforts to reduce property taxes.”

Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava, R-Gouverneur, saw a familiar, yet unexpected, face walking the hallways of the Legislative Office Building today: Doug Hoffman, her Conservative Party opponent in 23rd Congressional District special election.

Today's encounter was much more cordial than the incessant mud-slinging that occurred between the two camps last fall.

"It was fine," said Ms. Scozzafava, a state assemblywoman. "We shook hands and exchanged hellos."

The entire encounter lasted about a minute, she said.

The Rev. Jason J. McGuire, executive director for New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, accompanied Mr. Hoffman. The group, according to their Web site, "exists to influence legislation and legislators for the Lord Jesus Christ."

Ms. Scozzafava said Mr. Hoffman did not visit her office, but made stops in the offices of Assemblywomen Teresa R. Sayward, R-Willsboro, and Janet L. Duprey, R-Peru.

Mrs. Duprey said Mr. Hoffman wanted to talk politics, but said she doesn't like to have that type of conversation in her office. Instead, the 10-minute conversation focused on Adirondack Park issues and the proposed development at Big Tupper Ski Area. The Rev. McGuire sat in, but did not speak about any of his priority issues, the assemblywoman said.

Mrs. Duprey said she offered to meet with the congressional candidate at a different time outside the building, and the two exchanged phone numbers.

The assemblywoman said she treated Mr. Hoffman the same as she did Watertown businessman Matthew A. Doheny, also an interested Republican congressional candidate, when he asked to meet with her two weeks ago.

Robert H. Ryan, Mr. Hoffman's spokesman, would not confirm any meetings, whether premediated or happenstance. He only said:

Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, was endorsed Jan. 26 by J Street, an advocacy group of primarily Jewish Americans "who support Israel and its desire for security as the Jewish homeland, as well as the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign state of their own."

The group's political action committee gave $1,000 to Mr. Owens on Dec. 28, according to campaign finance reports.

"Rep. Owens has indicated that he will look to the leadership and principles of JStreetPAC to help inform his opinion on the Middle East conflict," the Web site that announced his endorsement states.

The list of J Street's other endorsed candidates, almost exclusively Democrats, is here.

Rep. William L. Owens had $240,750 on hand at year's end for his re-election bid in the 23rd Congressional District, according to a report filed Sunday with the Federal Elections Commission.

Mr. Owens' tally was on par with Republican Douglas L. Hoffman, who challenged the Plattsburgh Democrat for the open seat during last fall's special election. The Lake Placid accountant has $226,338. Watertown businessman Matthew A. Doheny, who will likely face Mr. Hoffman and potentially others in a Republican primary, had $336,844 at year's end.

Mr. Owens reported $182,758.41 in debts. House Democratic leaders have enrolled the newcomer into their Frontline program, which provides financial and logistical support for 42 members who face formidable opposition in the fall.

Mr. Owens reported the lowest balance of the Frontline program members, according to CQ Politics.

Mr. Owens' recent support has come primarily from political action committees and other congressional candidates' campaigns. He reported $136,267 in contributions for the Nov. 23 to Dec. 31 period, with $90,700 coming from PACs and other House Democrats.

His contributors included Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Judy Chu, both D-Calif.; Steve Israel, D-Huntington, Nita Lowey, D-White Plains; Debbie Wasserman Shultz, D-Fla., Steny Hoyer and Elijah E. Cummings, both D-Md., and Bill Delahunt, D-Mass.

Notable individual contributions included $1,000 from Dan French, a LaFargeville native and former U.S. Attorney who flirted with the idea of seeking the Democrats' nomination for the seat last summer. Mr. French's Syracuse-based company donated an additional $1,000.

Lorne Michaels, the creator and producer of "Saturday Night Live," gave $250 on Nov. 30.

Mr. Owens' primary expense this period was paying off his debt to Murphy Putnam Media, Alexandria, Va., who produced his television ads and bought airtime. He paid $56,390.46 this period. The congressman owes an additional $146,266.34 to the company, according to the report.

Douglas L. Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate in last fall's 23rd Congressional District special election, provided incorrect figures to the Federal Elections Commission because of a faulty Internet credit card processor, his team said Friday.

Mr. Hoffman's campaign team filed an ammended report for the period Oct. 15 to Nov. 23 after the FEC found two dozen errors in the original report.

The candidate overstated his campaign contributions in his first post-special election filing by $69,417.09, according to a second filing.

Webster Parker, Mr. Hoffman's accountant for the first report, said the candidate had taken in $1,501,012.36. But Gary Benware, Mr. Hoffman's accountant for the second report, puts that number at $1,431,595.27.

The second report also shows the Lake Placid accountant under-reported his expenses for the period by $3,630.

Mr. Hoffman, who originally reported having $291,627 on hand at the end of the period, actually had $218,379.57.

Rob Ryan, Mr. Hoffman's spokesman, said Dec. 11 that the candidate's accountant knew the campaign's cash on hand at the end of the reporting period. But the ammended report shows that's not true.

The second report is 39 pages longer than the first report. Upon preliminary review, it looks like several donors who gave multiple small contributions did not have all their contributions listed in the old report.

For example, David Holder of North Huntingdon, Pa., gave $150 on Oct. 26 and $100 on Oct. 27, according to the old report. The new report said the contributor gave $100 on Oct. 15, $50 on Oct. 22, $150 on Oct. 26 and $100 on Oct. 27.

I've written extensively about Mr. Hoffman's unitemized contributions. To recap: Candidates are allowed to bundle together contributions that are under $200, as long as the donation does not put the contributor over $200 for the election cycle.

The campaign claimed it had $111,977.12 in unitemized contributions in the first report. Now, they're claiming $871,786.12. That's 60.9 percent of Mr. Hoffman's total contributions.

Let's put this into context:

The FEC compiled a list of the 17 House races that were decided by special election since July 2007. In no instance did a candidate have more than 36.6 percent of the total receipts come from small-dollar donors.

Of the candidates who, like Mr. Hoffman, raised more than $1 million in a special campaign, no one had more than 31.24 percent of receipts come from small-dollar donors.

Rep. William L. Owens, Mr. Hoffman's Democratic rival in the 23rd race, took in $226,309.95 from small-dollar donors, which accounted for 18.1 percent of what he raised.

Either Mr. Hoffman has made history by garnering the highest percentage of small dollar contributions in the modern history of campaigning, or his numbers continue to be incorrect.

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, will host an open forum at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Massena Town Hall, 60 Main St.

She'll be taking questions on any state issue.

Don't live in Mrs. Russell's district? Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava, R-Gouverneur, is holding two meetings in Lewis County that day.

The Times Union's Jimmy Vielkind talked to Doug Hoffman today about the 23rd Congressional District race.

Mr. Hoffman wouldn't entertain the possibility that he'll lose a GOP primary this fall and split Republican voters again.

“There's no question that I'm going to be the Republican and Conservative, on both ballots, in November," he told Jimmy. "We're confident in that.”

Mr. Hoffman's potential opponents in a Republican primary are Watertown businessman Matthew A. Doheny, state Assemblyman William A. Barclay, Pulaski and Franklin County Legislator Paul A. Maroun. All four men recently told the Times what they think about federal health care legislation. You can read that here.

Douglas L. Hoffman, the Lake Placid accountant who finished second in last fall's special election in the 23rd Congressional District, reported having $226,338 on hand at year's end.

Mr. Hoffman also listed $110,000 in debts.

Mr. Hoffman, a registered Republican, will likely seek his party's nomination for the seat this fall. He ran solely on the Conservative Party line in the last election - which Mr. Hoffman would be guaranteed again if he were to run.

The accountant will likely face Matthew A. Doheny, a Watertown businessman, in a Republican primary. Mr. Doheny had $336,844 at year-end, but said Friday that he's raised an additional $300,000 in the last month.

The accountant reported $121,000 in contributions from Nov. 23 to Dec. 31, although that mostly reflects the $100,000 the candidate recently loaned to his campaign. He spent $113,000 this period, including $51,583 on eight different consultants.

Republican Dierdre K. Scozzafava, who finished behind Mr. Hoffman and Rep. William L. Owens, reported no contributions and no expenditures for the period. The Gouverneur assemblywoman has a balance of $2,997.85 and her campaign owes her $12,000.

The report of Mr. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, is not yet available on line.

Matthew J. Flynn II, the Canton senior vying for a seat on the St. Lawrence County Legislature, will be on the 8 p.m. Feb. 6 broadcast of "Huckabee," the FOX News weekend variety show hosted by former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

In a press release, Matt says he discussed "the detrimental effects of the Governor (Paterson's) proposal to close the Ogdensburg Correctional Facility."

"Huckabee was so impressed with Matthew's stance on the fiscal issues affecting the county, that (former) Governor Huckabee said he should be running for a federal office," the release says.

Matt's segment also included Jared Christiansen, a 19-year-old who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin governor.

Matt says the show will re-air at 8 p.m. Feb. 7, although I'd imagine most of us have other plans at that time.

Beth Graham talked to Matt before his appearance. Check out that story here.

Matt will be in a primary with Madrid farmer Kevin D. Acres. Both are seeking to represent District 8. The district's current legislator, Canton Democrat Tedra Cobb, has decided not to seek re-election.

The teenager told me the the most difficult part of the campaign is taking in the funds necessary to get his message out. I'm sure the "Huckabee" appearance will help. But, in the meantime, he's taking donations on his Web site.

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