Undecideds double in confused congressional race in New York

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Having trouble figuring out what is going in New York’s 23rd congressional district? Well, so are voters, according to the latest poll, which has the number of undecideds doubling in the wake of the departure of a moderate Republican.

The district, which includes a swath of upstate New York near the Canadian border, will be the scene of the one of the nation’s most closely watched elections on Tuesday. It started as a three-way race involving a conservative Democrat, a more liberal Republican and a serious conservative to the right of both.

The latest poll, by the Siena Research Institute, based near Albany N.Y., shows conservative Doug Hoffman with a five-point lead over Democrat Bill Owens. Republican Dede Scozzafava, who withdrew and threw her support to Owens, gets 6%.

But the number of undecideds since Scozzafava suspended her campaign has jumped from nine to 18 points.

“It appears, however, that the majority of Scozzafava’s supporters have gone to neither Hoffman nor Owens but, rather, into the undecided column, which has doubled since Scozzafava ended her candidacy,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said.

President Obama spoke at a fundraiser for Owens, and Vice President Joe Biden campaigned today in the district, which has been safely Republican since the Civil War.

--Michael Muskal

Follow on Twitter @LATimesmuskal