Owens gets fundraising help from Bill Clinton

WASHINGTON — Add former President Bill Clinton to the list of heavy-hitting Democrats putting their weight behind Bill Owens for Northern New York's congressional seat.

Mr. Clinton pushed a 24-hour fundraising blitz for Mr. Owens on Thursday, urging Democrats to raise a total of $83,000 for the party's candidate in the 23rd Congressional District.

Mr. Owens needs the money, Mr. Clinton wrote, to fend off attacks from the Republicans, who the former president said have spent as much as $500,000 already to defeat him and may spend as much as $1 million more in the weeks ahead. The special election is Nov. 3.

Within a few hours, the appeal had generated $45,000 from 577 contributors, according to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

In his letter, distributed by the DCCC, Mr. Clinton wrote, "With the media closely watching this race, victory or defeat will also be seen as a referendum on President Obama's agenda for health care and on our entire progressive agenda. So it's critical that we stand together as Democrats behind our candidate, Bill Owens."

"I know something about tough political fights and this one will be a doozy. But I wouldn't be asking for your help if this race wasn't winnable," he wrote, urging contributions of $5, $10 or more before Friday.

Mr. Obama won the presidential race in the congressional district last year.

This is not Mr. Clinton's first personal foray into politics in the north country. In 2000, as president, he campaigned for his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in Alexandria Bay.