10:07 p.m. | Updated Democrats scored an upset in one of New York’s most conservative congressional districts on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the national Republican Party in a race that largely turned on the party’s plan to overhaul Medicare.
The results set off elation among Democrats and soul-searching among Republicans, who questioned whether the party should rethink its commitment to the Medicare plan, which appears to have become a liability as 2012 elections loom.
Two months ago, the Democrat, Kathy Hochul, was considered an all-but-certain loser. But Ms. Hochul seized on her Republican rival’s embrace of the proposal from Representative Paul Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin, to overhaul Medicare, and she never let up.
With 66 percent of the precincts reporting, Ms. Hochul led with 48 percent of the vote, to 43 percent for the Republican candidate, Jane L. Corwin.
9:01 p.m. | Updated The polls have now closed in New York State’s 26th Congressional district, where turnout appeared fairly strong in a race that is being watched nationally as a sign of voter moods about the fiscal battles raging in Washington.
Hundreds of people turned out at individual polling sites earlier in the day. In Riga, N.Y., a small farming town in Monroe County, 200 people had turned out to vote by 9:30 a.m., which polling officials said would be a larger-than-usual turnout for a general election, let alone a special contest.
Just down the New York State Thruway at a polling place in Batavia, more than 150 people had voted as of mid-morning. “It’s definitely a good turnout so far,” said Harriet Worthington, a poll worker there. “I think the campaigns and the television ads really made people want to get out and vote.”
In Erie County, the Board of Elections commissioner, Dennis E. Ward, said that by 11 a.m., about 10 percent of voters had turned out. While he said that was high for a special election, he estimated total voter turnout would not eclipse 50 percent.
“This is based on anecdotal evidence,” Mr. Ward said. “It’s a little higher than normal, but nothing astronomical.”
Special elections are often sleepy affairs, with only the most engaged voters making the trek to polling stations. But the race in the 26th District — between Jane L. Corwin, the Republican candidate; her Democratic opponent, Kathy Hochul; and Jack Davis, who is running with Tea Party support — has become a national fascination, with some political observers suggesting it could be a bellwether for Congressional races next year.
The candidates, party organizations and outside groups altogether spent more than $6 million on advertising in the run-up to Tuesday’s election, which may explain the relatively high interest.
But what that high interest will translate into, in terms of votes, is hard to discern. If turnout is strong across the board, Ms. Corwin would likely stand to benefit, since Republicans have a large registration advantage in the district. Ms. Hochul, for her part, would be in a particularly strong position if voters in Erie County, where she is county clerk, turn out in high numbers.
The campaigns, for their part, spent Tuesday afternoon urging voters to head to the polls. Around midday, more than a dozen volunteers sat scattered throughout Ms. Corwin’s campaign headquarters. Some made phone calls encouraging voters to head to the polls, while others were using laptop computers, sending e-mails to supporters reminding them to vote.
Meanwhile, other volunteers spent the day canvassing for Ms. Corwin in the suburbs of Buffalo and Rochester. “Our goal is 18,000 doors today,” said Matthew Harakal, a campaign spokesman.
Among the volunteers going door to door for Ms. Corwin on Tuesday afternoon was Brian Polner, 55, a small business owner from Clarence, who was canvassing in the affluent Buffalo suburb of Amherst. He and other volunteers traveled in twos and fours, leaving door hangers and fliers telling residents of their polling places. “I think more people should get involved,” Mr. Polner said.
Nicholas Mattera and Michael D. Regan contributed reporting.
Editors’ Note
Nicholas Mattera, a freelancer, was assigned to gather quotations from voters and from the Democratic candidate, Kathy Hochul, for this blog post. Mr. Mattera had been added to The Times’s list of available freelancers when he was a reporter for The Niagara Gazette of Niagara Falls, N.Y. However, after this post was published, Times editors learned that Mr. Mattera had left the newspaper last month and begun working as a spokesman for Assemblyman John Ceretto, a Republican of Niagara Falls. Had the Times known of his change in employment, editors would not have used him as a freelancer.
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