Buffalo News - Hochul Will Take Oath of Office This Afternoon

News Article

By Jerry Zremski
NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF

Kathleen C. Hochul will be sworn in today as the U. S. representative for New York's 26th District.

Eight days after surprising the Republican candidate, Assemblywoman Jane L. Corwin of Clarence, in a special election in the GOP-dominated district, Hochul will take office for the remainder of a term that expires at the end of 2012.

And while the swearing-in ceremony at the U. S. Capitol may lack the drama of the campaign Hochul won, it will feature an interesting dynamic.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio-- who campaigned for Corwin--will swear in Hochul, who won her seat in part by attacking GOP plans to convert Medicare to a voucher system for those under age 55.

The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place in the early afternoon, although the exact time may be moved to accommodate votes on the House floor, Hochul's spokesman said.

After the ceremony, Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, will host a reception for Hochul's family, friends and supporters in his Capitol Hill office.

Hochul, 52, fills the 26th District seat left open after Rep. Chris Lee resigned Feb. 9 in a personal scandal. Lee, who is married, had sent an electronic photo of himself, shirtless, seeking a date with a woman on Craigslist. The photo found its way onto an Internet gossip site.

Hochul will be the first Democrat in decades to represent the district, which has 27,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats. Hochul defeated Corwin in the May 24 special election, 47 percent to 43 percent while the Tea Party's Jack Davis mustered only 9 per-cent in his fourth try for the seat. Ian L. Murphy of the Green Party recorded 1 percent.

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