The 2014 candidates for 23rd Congressional District of New York: Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) and challenger Martha Robertson (D-Ithaca).
JAMESTOWN – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) has picked up an endorsement from two local newspapers. Reed, who is running for reelection against Martha Robertson (D-Tompkins County) in the 23rd Congressional District, was endorsed this past weekend by both the Post-Journal and the Dunkirk Observer – both of which are considered Conservative newspapers and are owned by the Ogden Newspapers, Inc., based in Wheeling, WV.
In the Post-Journal, Robertson was criticized for taking a hard stance on the issues of free trade and natural gas exploration. However, the paper applauded Reed for “showing the flexibility needed when handling important issues.” The editorial also said that Reed has “shown his willingness to take local issues to Washington.”
Reed was not endorsed by the Buffalo News, (owned by Berkshire Hathaway) which said in a recent editorial that it could endorse neither candidate in the 23rd Congressional District race.
The News’ editorial called the campaign “a depressing race” and took Reed to task on several issues, including his support of a government shutdown last year and voting against raising the country’s debt limit. The editorial also mentioned Reed’s failure to remove his name from a law firm after joining congress (required by law) and also using campaign finance money to pay his personal property taxes. The article went as far to say that Reed has voted in ways that should automatically disqualify him from the office.
The editorial also criticized Robertson’s for running a what it called a weak campaign and for being to far left of many of the voters that live throughout the districts. Read the full text below:
THE BUFFALO NEWS
Portion of an editorial printed Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014
“This is a depressing race. Neither candidate seems up to what is the serious and complex task of representing the 23rd Congressional District or leading the nation in a responsible way.
“The incumbent Republican, Tom Reed of Corning, is a pleasant and engaging man, but one who has voted in ways that should automatically disqualify him from this office. Specifically, he supported a bill that he knew would close the government, then voted again to continue the shutdown – a vote that fortunately failed – and, perhaps worst of all, he voted in January to oppose raising the debt limit, which would have had the disastrous consequence of forcing the world’s premier democracy to default on its debts.
“Reed was also shown to have used campaign funds to pay a county tax bill – accidentally, he said – and has allowed his Corning law office to operate under his name while he has been serving in Congress, despite House ethics and American Bar Association rules that bar that practice.
“Yet, Reed’s Democratic opponent, Tompkins County Legislator Martha Robertson, has run a weak campaign, so weak that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee canceled plans to spend $465,000 on TV ads. Her approach to government appears to be significantly to the left of most of the district, perhaps explaining why she seems tentative in her approach to this campaign.
“In the end, voters of the district don’t have great choices. Reed seems likely to win and, if so, we can only hope that he moves back toward a responsible brand of conservatism – a place he told voters he wanted to be when he ran two years ago. In the meantime, we’re not endorsing either candidate.”
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