Republican drops out of one Congressional race; not joining another

David Bellavia is dropping out of New York's 26th congressional race, and he is dismissing all talk that he might run for New York's 28th.

The Batavia native is an Iraq war vet and an author. He was campaigning for Tom Reynolds' soon-to-be-vacant seat, before Republican support swung behind Chris Lee. Bellavia was mentioned as a possible Republican opponent for Louise Slaughter, but he has ruled that out.

Bellavia to take on Louise?

According to the Buffalo News, David Bellavia is being urged by some in the Republican Party to focus on winning another district, the 28th, held by Louise Slaughter.

In the two months since comparing Barack Obama to Tiger Woods, Bellavia has gone from GOP frontrunner in the 26th District, to being replaced in the conversation by Chris Lee. Both were seeking the seat held by retiring Rep. Tom Reynolds.

Bellavia lives in Batavia, which is not part of the 28th district. That's not a problem. Candidates for the U.S. House need only live in New York.

The move would essentially hand Lee the nomination, and it would find a candidate for the GOP to run against Slaughter. The aptly-named Slaughter has won her last two re-election campaigns in a landslide, each by more than 70% of the vote.

- In other news from NY's 26th, Alice Kryzan is opening her new campaign headquarters Thursday in Williamsville. She's seeking the Democratic nod, as are Jon Powers and Jack Davis.

- This is a stretch, but this week's Dale Sweetland lookalike is Mick Hucknall of Simply Red.

Endorsement for Jon Powers

He's one of three Democrats vying for the Congressional seat being left vacant by Republican Rep. Tom Reynolds. Now, Jon Powers will be on the ballot in November.

Tuesday, Powers received the endorsement of the Working Families Party. Powers, and the other two Dem candidates, Alice Kryzan and Jack Davis, made their pitches to the WF advisory committee this past weekend.

Powers is from Clarence in Erie County, which is also the hometown of Reynolds.

Honor for Maggie - Monroe Co. executive Maggie Brooks is now an honorary co-chair of Rep. John "Randy" Kuhl's re-election campaign. Kuhl represents New York's 29th in Congress; a district that stretches from the Pennsylvania border to the Rochester suburbs. It looks like this move is trying to create momentum in two distinct and different regions of the district. I write that because the honor is also going to Amo Houghton, Kuhl's predecessor. Houghton remains a saint in the Southern Tier. Interesting that he'd be paired with Brooks, who for better or for worse, is tied to her FAIR plan in the public conciousness.

Super Tuesday - School budget voting day is Tuesday. For you, it's voting yes or no on a budget that likely raises your taxes. For us who work in a newsroom, the sudden avalanche of faxes and barrage of phone calls from school districts is a nice mid-year tune-up for November. Last year, budgets were voted down in Greece and Naples. This year, the budget that's almost sure to fail is Canisteo-Greenwood, but there will be a few surprises.

Sweetland Switch - It's a good look for Dale Sweetland, the Republican candidate for Jim Walsh's 25th Congressional seat. I'm talking about the red goatee to match the cropped hair. Reminds me of Hank Scorpio, Homer Simpson's short-lived but awesome boss. If you spot any famous lookalikes of Dale, or any of the candidates, let me know.

56th State Senate race set

Brighton town supervisor Sandy Frankel ended her campaign for the New York State Senate Thursday night, making her intentions clear at the Monroe Co. Democratic Convention.

Frankel said that fellow Democrat Rick Dollinger has the party votes to be the designated candidate, and that she was removing her name from consideration in the name of party unity.

That means the race for the 56th State Senate seat is set. Dollinger will face off with the incumbent, Republican Joe Robach of Greece.

Dean of Democrats in Rochester Thursday (Updated)

Howard's Here (UPDATED) - Howard Dean is in Rochester Thursday night for the Monroe Co. Democratic Convention. The chairman of the Democratic National Committee is in Syracuse Thursday morning, in a show of support for Dan Maffei, running for the 25th District seat in Congress. Tonight in Rochester, several Dem candidates will be officially given the party nod, like judge candidate and current assistant district attorney Joanne Winslow, and county clerk candidate Tom Hasman.

The big story, of course, is Howard Dean steering the Democratic ship. No surprise, he remained neutral on the Democratic Primary.

'Elo Guv'nah (UPDATED) - Gov. David Paterson gave News 8's Evan Axelbank an exclusive 1-on-1 interview Wednesday. Paterson said he is still supporting Clinton, and that anything can happen. When asked to name a scenario where Clinton would be the nominee, he balked. Evan has posted more interesting insights from the Governor here, and here.

Tough Tapdance - The most interesting endorsement of Barack Obama on Wednesday didn't come from John Edwards. In fact, it wasn't really an endorsement at all. The New York branch of NARAL, the National Abortion Rights Action League, broke with it's parent organization by not throwing it's support behind either Obama's or Hillary Clinton's limping campaign.

NARAL NY is just one example. It's in a bind, like a lot of local and statewide organization branches and elected officials. NARAL can't appear to bite the hand of Hillary; however, the longer the organization waits, the more irrelevant-seeming the endorsement becomes.

Of course, there's the irony of a pro-choice organization choosing not to choose.



Sweetland Sweep - Republican Dale Sweetland, running against Dan Maffei for the 25th Congressional seat, has recieved the endorsement of the Wayne Co. Republican Party. This is the seat that will be up for grabs when Jim Walsh retires this year. Sweetland is from Fabius in Onondaga County, where he was a county legislator. Sweetland (on the left) also bears an uncanny resemblance to British boxer Nigel "The UK Hammer" Hudson (on the right).

Can Hillary make it to the finish line?

That's the big question Wednesday morning. A big win in West Virginia Tuesday didn't change the math for Hillary Clinton. The New York Senator is huddled with her campaign staff, trying to figure out if she has the money to see this race to the end.

Trailing in delegates, superdelegates, and the popular vote, reality has to have set in to Clinton's supporters, who at best can hope for a Julie Moss finish.

In the 1982 Ironman Triathlon, Moss led the way, and was within sight of the finish line when her body just couldn't take any more. She collapsed several times. As she struggled to stand up, or even remain conscious, her friend and chief rival passed her, and crossed the finish line seconds later. Moss did not give up and made it to the end.

With no hope of overtaking Barack Obama, the best Hillary can hope for is an Ironman-like finish to inspire the Democrats.

In case you missed it...

Rick's Rolling - Rick Dollinger's campaign to return to Albany got a big boost Saturday. Dollinger now has the backing of the Monroe Co. Democratic Party. He's seeking the 56th District seat in the state Senate, held by Joe Robach, a Republican. Dollinger spent 10 years in the state Senate. Brighton town supervisor Sandy Frankel and Rochester City School District board member Willa Powell were also looking to run against Robach as Democrats.

Et tu, SNL? - Saturday Night Live has had a knack for making me cringe (I will always hold a grudge against the show for unleashing Will Ferrell on the world). You have to see Amy Poehler's sendup of Sen. Hillary Clinton and her underlying campaign strategy that kicked off the show this weekend. Absolutely brutal, in a "they went there" way. The wince-worthy clip of the weekend has plenty of Hillary supporters upset. It's a surprising turn of events. Two months ago, SNL seemed to be in Clinton's pocket, as skits made it seem like Clinton was the underdog as the press fawned over Obama, and Tina Fey openly cheered on Hillary from the Weekend Update desk. You're going to have to watch the clip and decide for yourself. You can catch it and other videos at SNL's new election website.

Democrats attack Dinolfo; name challenger for Monroe Co. Clerk

Monroe County Democrats named a candidate for the office of county clerk Friday morning, and in the process, took plenty of shots at the current clerk, Cheryl Dinolfo.

Assemblyman Joe Morelle, who chairs the county Dems, said that Dinolfo's actions are nearly always "in the best political interest of the clerk and her party."

Morelle points to one of the lesser-publicized aspects of the FAIR plan - the plan to reroute county sales tax money to the state, to pay for the county's Medicaid debt. Auto registration fees were doubled, and collecting those fees is done by the clerk. Morelle said Dinolfo was silent on the issue, and that's not all.

"One of the telling moments is the appeal of the county clerk that people not utilize more efficient ways of getting their automobilies re-registered," said Morelle. "Instead of using the Internet and mail, which would save taxpayers money, her appeal was still do it at the Monroe County Clerk's office, because we need the money."

Schumer: Let Hillary decide

New York Senator Charles Schumer is backing his fellow Democratic senator's decision to stay in the race, and to not bow down to pressure to drop out.

"Bottom line, is this is still a close race, and Hillary Clinton has worked long and hard, and I think she deserves the space to make her own decision," Schumer told News 8 Now on Thursday afternoon. "I've spoken to her, I've told her that I'm not pushing her to do anything quickly, and let's see what happens here."

Advisors urging Clinton to bow out gracefully

While Hillary Clinton is in West Virginia Thursday morning, some close to her campaign are suggesting her effort there should be nothing more than symbolic.

CBS News is reporting several top advisors are suggesting Clinton stay in through West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oregon, and then gracefully bow out.

There are only 6 primaries left, and her opponent in the Democratic primary, Barack Obama, has a virtually insurmountable lead in delegates and total votes. Since Pennsylvania, Obama has picked up 26 superdelegates to Clinton's 14.

Sen. Clinton not going anywhere

Campaigning in Sheperdstown, West Virginia, on Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Hillary Clinton said she's not going anywhere.

"I'm staying in this race until there's a nominee," said Clinton. "I obviously am going to work as hard as I can to become that nominee. That is what I've done. That is what I'm going to continue to do. I believe that I'm a stronger candidate and I believe I will be a better president."

On a split within the Democratic party - "We traditionally have gone longer than you've seen in the last couple of cycles, and there isn't any problem closing ranks and unifying."

Is the process putting the Democrats at a disadvantage? - "What matters is what strength you have going into the general election. Look, if we had the rules the Republicans had, I'd already be the nominee. If they had our rules, they'd still be fighting it out. Republicans look from the general election backwards. 'How do we get to 270 electoral votes.' We have a much more complicated process, and we're toward the end of it."

Why 'big states' are her strategy - "If you look at what I've won - Texas to Ohio to Pennsylvania to Indiana - certainly 3 out of those 4 are states we have to win, and I intend to do that."

IN & NC Aftermath: Clinton's money running dry?

Tuesday night did not go as Hillary Clinton and her supporters had hoped, and it looks like the New York Senator is running out of money.

She has loaned her own campaign $6.4 million over the last month. While that's not a harbinger of doom (she also loaned herself $5 million in February, during a very successful stretch), it strengthens Sen. Barack Obama's lead in both delegates and money. Obama has a war chest in the $40 million range.

According to the CBS News delegate simulator, Obama leads Clinton in delegates - by a count of 1,844 to 1,688 - a difference of 156.

Republican opponent for Morelle emerges

It's Sam Trapani, who announced Monday he is taking on Joe Morelle for the 132nd Assembly District seat.

Trapani is a local businessman. He owns Springwaters, Inc., a bottled spring water maker; and Rowe Engineering, an electronics design company.

In a statement, Trapani said he's taking on Morelle because of the Assemblyman's campaigning for the job of state comptroller, when Alan Hevesi resigned in 2006 for a scandal in which he used state employees to chauffeur his ailing wife. Hevesi was later sentenced, and Morelle did not make the final cut of comptroller candidates.

Morelle has held the seat for 18 years, and also chairs the Monroe Co. Democratic Committee. The 132nd District covers part of the east side of Rochester, and a section of city extending north to Charlotte; plus the towns of Irondequoit and Brighton.

One interesting thing about Trapani's campaign is that he has a website ready to go. Many of the candidates running for office on the state level aren't looking to the web, at least, not this early in the game. Republican Chris Lee has also launched a website, which can be found here. We're still waiting on one from Dale Sweetland.

GOP endorsements; Clintons getting busy

• The two retiring Republican congressmen both gave their endorsements out Monday morning. Jim Walsh is backing Dale Sweetland, a longtime legislator from Onondaga County. Bob Oaks, an assemblyman from Lyons, has given up his campaign in lieu of that endorsement.
• Meanwhile, Tom Reynolds is backing Chris Lee, a businessman from Erie County. Lee just entered the race last week. What's interesting about this move is the position it puts David Bellavia in. The Iraq war veteran had been the only Republican in a crowded field of Democrats. He caught a lot of flak back in April for comparing Barack Obama to Tiger Woods. Perhaps Reynolds was waiting for someone else - anyone else - to try and keep the seat in Republican hands.
• All eyes are on Indiana and North Carolina, as Barack Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton try to squeeze out last minute votes. Hillary's on Letterman Monday night. Bill has 9 campaign stops on Monday alone.

We're back!

We're checking in for the first time since the New York primary 10 weeks ago. The focus for the last month has been on Pennsylvania, and polls show New York Senator Hillary Clinton with an advantage so far in PA.

Speaking of pollsters, the "rockstar" of the polling world is in Rochester today. John Zogby. He's speaking at a Rotary luncheon and we're trying to turn the tables on him and ask him the questions for once.

Look for our election coverage to ramp up on RochesterHomepage.net, as the election season comes around into full swing.

Signing off.

Here's the early returns this morning.

Democrats-
Clinton - California
Obama - Alaska, Missouri
New Mexico is too close to call.

Clinton has 740 delegates; Obama has 659. 2,025 are needed to secure the nomination.

Republicans-
Romney - Colorado, Alaska
McCain - California, Missouri

McCain has 575 delegates, Romney has 250, Huckabee has 170 (love those even numbers). 1,191 are needed to secure the nomination.

- Some of Ron Paul's biggest supporters were in Rochester for a concert Tuesday night. The U.S. Bombs, a longtime skate-punk band from California, are about halfway through their "Ron Paul: Revolution Tour '08." They played a great set at the Bug Jar on Monroe Avenue, but did not address the events of Super Tuesday at any point. Paul has 16 delegates, by the way.

The waiting is the hardest part

Why not reference a Tom Petty song after his excellent performance at the Super Bowl?

All eyes are on California right now, as both parties are half an hour into counting the votes.

It's time for us to take a break. Check back in early tomorrow morning, when the final results and delegate count should be in.

Final numbers in from Monroe Co. (R)

John McCain is the big winner nationally, but Mitt Romney did very well in Monroe County. Here are the final numbers:

McCain - 15,767
Romney - 14,131
Huckabee - 4,950
Paul - 2,640
Giuliani - 1,429

Romney just won the Montana and Minnesota caucuses.

Obama has taken the Colorado primary and the Idaho caucuses. Clinton has won Missouri.

Breaking down NY and Western NY

New York's already been called for McCain and Clinton. Let's take a look at the numbers and see how Western New York voted.

- Maybe a lot of people saw the "Mitt Mobile" in the past few months. With 85% of Western New York reporting, Romney has more than 30% of the vote. It's irrelevant, since New York is winner-take-all.


- Mike Huckabee (whose victory in Georgia just caused a ripple throughout the newsroom) is getting a very respectable 15% of the vote in WNY.


- Barack Obama's campaign has a right to cheer. With more than 80% reporting, he's getting nearly 40% of the vote. That's going to mean delegates his campaign wasn't counting on. Curt Smith said it's a "tremendous night" for him.


McCain has taken Arizona.

One big prize left

Guess which state?

California dreaming

Curt Smith said the Democratic race will be "a long marathon. Hillary Clinton with a victory in New York, but not a stunning victory. Barack Obama won by a bigger percentage in his home state of Illinois. We won't know until we get to California. I do think Clinton will emerge with a slight edge after tonight."

North Dakota, Connecticut, and Utah go to Obama.

Romney looks to be the loser of the night, unless he pulls off a victory in California. He's won two states so far (Massachusetts and Utah, neither a surprise). Mike Huckabee may emerge as tonight's big winner, because of his victories in the South, and his fight in close races that haven't been called yet, like Missouri.

Polls close in 3 more states

A tale of two campaign parties

Just got off the phone with News 8's Kevin Jolly. He's at 289 on Alexander Street in Rochester, where the local Hillary Clinton campaign has gathered to watch tonight's results.

Kevin said the mood is surprisingly subdued, considering Clinton's victory in New York. He said most of the people inside are gathered at the bar, and are being quiet.

It's quite a contrast with the local Obama campaign, who watched tonight's results unfold at Nathaniel's on Exchange Boulevard in Rochester. Kevin said every Obama victory was met with a resounding cheer. The mood was very upbeat.

It seems like Clinton and Obama are splitting states. New Jersey went to Clinton; moments later Alabama went to Obama.

Local McCain campaign takes victory in stride

Jecoliah Ellis is at Don's Original in Penfield, where about 25 local McCain supporters gathered to watch tonight's results. Jecoliah says the atmosphere is relaxed, and that no one was surprised when it was announced that McCain took New York.

Completely off-topic- the best contest of the night might be the St. John Fisher-Nazareth men's basketball game. It looks like Naz, who was up 15 at halftime, will hold off a furious Fisher rally.

McCain takes NY

John McCain has won New York, and it's 87 delegates.

Our political analyst, Curt Smith, just walked into the newsroom.

His first impressions-
- "Romney needs to win California if he wants to survive the night."
- "Huckabee's strong performance shows that conservatives aren't willing to vote for John McCain. They're looking for anyone else... they'd vote for Dan Quayle if they could."

The big story: voter turnout

Democrats locally have turned out in force for this year's primary.

Here are the 8:30 numbers from the Board of Elections:
City - 41%
Towns - 39.2%
County - 40%

In 2004:
City - 14.3%
Towns - 18.5%
County - 16.8%

In 2000:
City - 19.2%
Towns - 22%
County - 20.6%

On the Republican side, the numbers are comparable to the 2000 primary.

2008:
City - 24.1%
Towns - 26.5%
County - 26.2%

2000:
City - 26.4%
Towns - 30.6%
County - 29.8%

Polls closed; Clinton wins NY

The polls are closed. Hillary Clinton will win New York. By how much remains to be seen.

Here's a look at the states that just wrapped up.

Results trickling in; missing MO?

Arkansas goes to Clinton and Huckabee, no real surprise there.

Deleware goes to McCain.

The only state we haven't heard from in either party - Missouri, which has 58 delegates that will go to the winner of the Republican race.

It's time to look ahead to 9 p.m., when polls in 6 states, including New York, close. If you haven't voted, I hope you're warming up your car.

2 more results

Tennessee goes to Clinton.

Alabama goes to Huckabee.

Results coming in

Oklahoma goes to Hillary Clinton.

Illinois goes to Barack Obama.

Illinois, Connecticut, and New Jersey go to John McCain.

Massachusetts goes to Mitt Romney.

Polls close in several states, Georgia returns

Georgia has gone to Barack Obama. It's one of the big states on the Democratic side, with 87 delegates up for grabs. It's a tight 3-way race for the Republicans.

Voting in 9 states ends at the top of the hour. In Arkansas, for some reason, the polls close at 8:30.

Two hours left to vote

It's time for us to take a break. Several members of the newsroom crew are using the break to go out and vote.

The primary in Georgia ends at the top of the hour. Two hours until the polls close in New York... so get out and vote.

Who are you voting for?

- Jecoliah Ellis has been in Webster all day, at a Republican polling place. She says John McCain is the pick of most of the people she's spoke with, but not everyone is happy with the 4 choices.
- Kevin Jolly was at a Democratic polling place in Henrietta, and tells me that more than 150 people have been to the polls, which is more than poll workers expected at this point. So, who are they picking?
- Nice to see we've gotten a handful of replies to the polls on the right side of the page. Let's take it one step further. Why are you voting for these candidates? What appeals to you about them? Is there a candidate who rubs you the wrong way? Go ahead and comment by clicking on the word "Comments" below.

In other election news, Evan Axelbank caught up with longtime Brighton town supervisor Sandy Frankel, who announced today she's running for a State Senate seat. This could set up a showdown with someone else well known to voters in Brighton - Rick Dollinger, who stepped down as Town Justice this morning.

The district is New York's 56th. Joe Robach is the incumbent. In a statement, Robach said it's way too early to think about November, and he will announce his plans when it becomes appropriate.

Super Tuesday surprise; the "Mitt Mobile"

- It's not uncommon to see words painted on the cars of high school students (you'll be seeing that a lot come the Section V basketball tournament). Jecoliah Ellis caught up with Eric Myer, a Geneseo teen who is using his window space to get the word out about Mitt Romney, a candidate who has no organized campaign headquarters in the Rochester area.

- Two Ron Paul supporters were out in Brighton this morning, trying to get their candidate's name out there. Both admit that he's a longshot at this point, but have some interesting things to say about how Paul's campaign has made them rethink their own political stance.

- The Mountaineer State has spoken. Mike Huckabee has won West Virginia's 18 delegates.

First round of turnout numbers

Encouraging news from the Monroe Co. Board of Elections. Voter turnout numbers show interest in the New York Primary from Democrats is much higher than 4 years ago.

Here are the numbers as of 2:30 p.m.:

Democrats:
County - 11.9%
City of Rochester - 11.7%
Towns- 12%

County in 2004 - 4.6%
in 2000 - 5.9%

It looks like there is high interest among local Democrats, and that both campaigns have successfully mobilized registered voters.

Republicans:
County - 8.3%
City - 9.6%
Towns - 8.1%

County in 2000 - 11.1%
(no numbers for 2004)

Why the decrease on the Republican side? In 2000, the Republican primary was a two horse race by this point, between George W. Bush and John McCain. The campaign was much higher profile, and more heated.

Super Tuesday in Rochester: What we're working on

Here's a brief look at what we're working on today.

- Eye on the Vote: We've been asking you what issue is the most important to you. We want your opinion on this question - but that's not all. Who did you vote for? Why? Any problems voting? How was your experience? Share with Rochester your take on any and all things Super Tuesday. We plan on including you as much as possible in our TV coverage tonight.
- Local campaigns: Clinton, Obama, McCain, and Huckabee all have campaigns in Rochester that will be closely watching tonight's results. We'll catch up with all of them. There's no official party tonight locally for Mitt Romney, but we do plan on meeting up with perhaps his biggest supporter in WNY, and who it is may surprise you.
- Polling places: We'll have crews in place at several polling places around Monroe County. What issues are important to primary voters?
- Voter turnout: Both parties have been urging members to get to the polls. Will members respond? Keep in mind, the turnout for the November election was among the worst ever in Monroe County.
- New York's delegates: The Democrat party delegates will be divvied up proportionally within Congressional districts. Time to dust off the scientific calculator. The Republicans make it easy - winner takes all.
- How your county voted: We're actually going to be collecting results from all Upstate counties west of Syracuse. On this blog, we'll figure out who won Monroe, Ontario. Wayne, Livingston, and Orleans County. While the delegates aren't split up by county, it should be interesting.

The polls are now open. They will close in 9 hours.

Breaking down the delegates in NY

On the Democrat side, New York has 232 delegates, the second most of 22 states with Democrat contests today. We're not winner-take-all; delegates are allocated proportionally based on today's results. California, Illinois, and New Jersey are the other states to keep an eye on.

(* winner-take-all)

On the Republican side, New York is one of 9 states that are winner-take-all; the candidate that takes the state gets all of the delegates. With 87 delegates, New York is the largest winner-take-all prize of the night (Missouri is second with 58 delegates - followed by AZ, NJ, CT, UT, WV, MT, and DE, in that order). There are 21 Republican contests today.

Catching up with Curt

Our political analyst, Curt Smith, is an author and former speechwriter for President George H. W. Bush. As always, Curt will be a big part of primary election coverage on News 8 and Fox Rochester. On Monday, we asked him for his pre-Super Tuesday thoughts.

• On Barack Obama: "The Obama surge is real. The surge is a phenomenon. The momentum he has from South Carolina is real... but also the endorsements. I personally feel that anyone the age of a baby boomer or older, the endorsement of Caroline Kennedy, followed by Ted Kennedy, followed by Oprah Winfrey, has made a difference. It's given him a sheen of establishment approval.


• Obama's efforts in New York: "If you look at New York, Mrs. Clinton led him by 3-to-1 not so long ago. It's not entirely possible that he will come within closing distance of her. I can guarantee you if Obama gets 35 to 40% of the vote in New York, he's going to claim an enormous victory. On the Democratic side, this thing is going to go way beyond tomorrow. I would not have said that a month ago, but I think the landscape has changed. I think Democrats want a winner. They want change. The best defense is a good offense, to use a football term. He is playing offense on her turf. She's rebutting and reacting to him. If he picks up anything in New York, that's gravy. It's not something he would have expected."


• How imporant is getting out the vote? - "It's important in the sense that in party primaries, the level of voter participation is far lower than the general election. The most devoted, the most fanatical, the most zealous of party activists, by-in-large, decide who is nominated and who is not. You can win, for example, with 20 to 25% of the vote, whereas in a general election you would need 55 to 60%. It's an enormously different kind of operation, not as exclusive as a caucus, but more inclusive and democratic."


• Who's voting? "By-in-large, these are lifelong party activists, many of them in their 50s and 60s, that have voted Democrat or Republican all of their life, and in many cases they're guided by the decisions of local leaders. It's not necessarily a question of persuading them; it's a question of getting them out, particularly if the weather's bad, and getting them to the polls."


• On Undecideds: "My hunch is that on both sides of the political aisle, people by-in-large now have already made up their mind. Keep in mind that the Iowa caucus was in early January, and people have been running for President since 2004, so folks have had a lot of time to ingest and assimilate information, and therefore make up their mind. Anyone that's undecided right now, it seems to me, has been doing other things for a year and a half aside from focusing on politics."

- Jecoliah Ellis caught up with several family members of the 427th National Guard unit, based in Webster. All share the same big issue - the ongoing war in Iraq and escalating danger in Afghanistan, where the 427 was deployed to. Out of the 4 family members interviewed, 2 preferred Clinton, 1 preferred Obama and 1 preferred McCain. Jecoliah has been keeping in touch with the families since last month, when 223 members of the 427th headed to Afghanistan. You can see her piece here.

- Evan Axelbank went to a Barack Obama rally at Twelve Corners in Brighton late Monday afternoon. Obama supporters have been especially active as the primary approaches. You can see some of their work while driving. They've strategically placed Obama banners on several highway overpasses in and around Rochester.

- Scott Hetsko says expect breezy weather when you're heading to the polls tomorrow.

Big name in Rochester politics is backing Obama

Sen. Barack Obama picked up endorsements from several noteworthy names in Rochester Friday, including former mayor Bill Johnson.

"The thing I find the most appealing is that he's been able to mobilize so many young people, and people of different races and social classes to his candidacy," said Bill Johnson. "If the Democrats are going to win in November, then it's going to be with that kind of candidate going forward."

On Sen. Hillary Clinton: "I have tremendous admiration for Senator Clinton. I worked with her when she ran for Senate in 2000. She's done a lot for this city, but I just worry that the Republicans will spend too much time dredging up old issues from her husband's past, and that's going to be a distraction the country doesn't need."

On Obama's relative inexperience: "That was a charge against me. I had no political experience when I came to office. I think this man is extraordinarily bright, I think he's talented, and I think he knows the right people to surround himself with."

Johnson spoke to the media at the Damon Campus Center on Main Street in Downtown Rochester.

Rochester City Councilman Adam McFadden also endorsed Obama, as did Willa Powell, Tom Brennan, and Allen K. Williams, all Commissioners of Education.

Mitt missing, and What's your big issue?

- Kevin Jolly went to the Henrietta Senior Center on Wednesday, to ask our "Eye on the Vote" question: What's your big issue?

"I hear all these candidates talking about change, but I don't think I've heard any specific issues being addressed." - Chuck Greenlee

"Most of us are on fixed incomes. We get a social security increase once a year... a lot of us have IRA's, CD's... it's all tied into the economy. As the stock market goes, there goes our income." - Jim Marventano

"Social Security's in muddy water. They're even talking about giving illegal immigrants social security. They're robbing Peter to give to Paul when they take it out of my Social Security to give it to somebody else." - Miles Benson

"Do I have money for food this month, or do I buy medication, or do I have to split my prescription so that I can be able to have some food, or be able to get about, even getting to an from the doctor's office?" - Patricia Floyd

So what's your big issue? Let us know by leaving a comment.

- Evan Axelbank points out something interesting here. Mitt Romney seems to have no foothold in WNY. McCain has a well-known radio host running his local campaign. Sen. Hillary Clinton has a Rochester HQ set up, as does Sen. Barack Obama. Obama and Mike Huckabee have established local "meet-up" groups on the Internet. The only candidate missing is Romney, whose campaign said it's setting up grassroots efforts across New York. That may be too little, too late.

Eye on the Vote: What is it?

Throughout the election cycle, this blog will update you with the latest information on candidates and races that are relevant to your life in Rochester. We're asking you to make it complete.

That's the idea behind "Eye on the Vote." Excited about a certain race? Let us know. How was your experience going to vote? Who's doing a good (or bad) job campaigning? How could we improve our coverage? Let us know.

We'll be asking questions regularly on this blog, and we'd love to hear from you.

Today, we want to know -- What's your big issue? What stance makes or breaks a candidate in your eyes, and gets you excited about going to the polls?

Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Campaign '08 on RochesterHomepage.net

Welcome to the News 8 Now/Fox Rochester blog of Campaign '08.

We're 6 days away from Super Tuesday, when New York and more than twenty other states will help select candidates for President.

The field is narrowing. One day after the Florida primary, Rudy Giuliani (R) and John Edwards (D) both abandoned their White House bids. This leaves Tuesday's field down to 2 Democrats and 4 Republicans, and Sen. Hillary Clinton as New York's sole candidate.