Nov. 3 is official date for 23rd District ballot

The race to replace John M. McHugh in Congress will be decided Nov. 3.

Ending weeks of speculation, Gov. David A. Paterson made the date official with a proclamation Tuesday. The contest coincides with Election Day.

The race already includes three candidates:

■ Dierdre K. Scozzafava, a Republican state Assemblywoman from Gouverneur who will run on the Republican and Independence parties' lines.

■ William L. Owens, a Plattsburgh attorney who will run on the Democratic Party line.

■ Douglas L. Hoffman, a Lake Placid accountant who will run on the Conservative Party line.

The Working Families Party has yet to endorse a candidate, although party spokesman Dan Levitan said the group will start interviewing soon. Mr. Hoffman won't seek the line, Ms. Scozzafava is uncommitted and Mr. Owens is "looking forward" to discussing the possibility of being the party's candidate, according to their spokespersons.

Mr. McHugh held the seat for 16 years, until he resigned Sept. 21 to become secretary of the Army. The Pierrepont Manor resident was considered a moderate Republican who occasionally broke with the party line on environmental and social issues. The former congressman also enjoyed strong support from labor unions.

Ms. Scozzafava has enjoyed the backing of moderates for her support of abortion rights and gay marriage. Those positions, as well as her solid ties to organized labor, also persuaded the progressive Working Families Party to endorse her three previous Assembly campaigns.

But the Republican's stance on social issues has riled others, prompting the Conservative Party to recruit Mr. Hoffman to run against her. Mr. Hoffman, a registered Republican, had sought the GOP endorsement but was passed over by the district's 11 Republican county chairpersons.

Mr. Owens, meanwhile, has worked to establish his Democratic connections and credentials after party leaders picked him as their standard bearer.

Mr. Owens never registered with a political party, although he acknowledged that many assumed he was aligned with the GOP because of his business connections to the late state Sen. Ronald B. Stafford.

The 23rd Congressional District includes all or part of 11 counties, including Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence. It stretches from Madison County to Clinton County.

The district is predominantly Republican, with the GOP attracting about 44 percent of registered voters, according to the state Board of Elections. Democrats comprise about 30 percent of the total, while those registered without party affiliation make up about 20 percent. The remaining 6 percent are registered in minor parties.