TAMPA -- With a Buffalo News poll showing Rep. Kathleen C. Hochul, D-Hamburg, within striking distance of Republican Chris Collins in New York's GOP-heavy 27th Congressional District, you might think national Republicans would be worried.
Think again.
Guy Harrison, the executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told reporters Monday that he's confident about the state of the race, even though the widely respected Rothenberg Political Report rates it a toss-up despite a seven percentage point Republican edge in the district.
"I'll take being tied in August," Harrison said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Steve Scalise, who was in charge of Republican recruitment for House candidates, offered a succinct explanation why Hochul remains competitive.
"It's because Hochul is an incumbent," said Scalise, R-La.
The NRCC officials also expressed confidence that Maggie Brooks, the Republican county executive in Monroe County, might oust Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-Fairport, in a new Rochester-based district with a Democratic voting edge.
"It's going to be a close race," Harrison said.
--Jerry Zremski
