With NY special election down to the wire, Republicans 'brace for blowback'

Although the special election is taking place in a normally conservative district, some say the vote will be a referendum on the Ryan Medicare plan.

Politico: GOP Braces For Medicare Blowback
This week, an off-year special election in Buffalo and a purely symbolic vote in the Senate might tell Republicans all they need to know about the mercurial politics of Medicare reform (Haberkorn and Bresnahan, 5/24).

The Associated Press: Medicare Top Issue In NY House Special Election
The 26th Congressional District, which covers a swath of rural and suburban towns between Buffalo and Rochester, is among the most conservative in the state and one of only four that favored Republican John McCain over President Barack Obama in 2008. But Corwin, a state assemblywoman and a multimillionaire, has seen her lead evaporate in recent weeks after expressing support for a plan crafted by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to strip billions from Medicare and recast it as a voucher program. Corwin said she supported the Ryan plan as a way to ensure the solvency of Medicare for future generations (Thompson and Fouhy, 5/23).

Los Angeles Times: New York Special Election Goes Down To The Wire
Party leaders in Washington are offering up their final spin before voters in New York's 26th congressional district head to the polls Tuesday. Depending on who's doing the talking, the special election in western New York is either evidence of voters rejecting Rep. Paul Ryan's controversial Medicare overhaul or a fluky three-way race of little national significance (Hennessey and Mascaro, 5/23).