Politics | Jane Corwin Democrat Takes Lead in Big NY House Race Ryan's Medicare plan looms large in special election near Buffalo By John Johnson Posted May 21, 2011 4:26 PM CDT Copied Democrat Kathy Hochul speaks while holding a pair of boxing gloves in Clarence, N.Y., Monday, May 9, 2011. (AP Photo/David Duprey) A closely watched congressional race near Buffalo looks to be tipping in Democrats' favor: A new poll gives Kathy Hochul a 4-point edge over Republican Jane Corwin heading into Tuesday's special election, reports Politico. The race is drawing national attention in part because it's seen as a proxy fight on Paul Ryan's budget/Medicare plan and partly because a good chunk of votes that would presumably go to Corwin are being siphoned away by Tea Party candidate Jack Davis. National groups have been pouring money into the race, GOP ones especially of late. Hochul has been pounding Corwin in ad after ad by linking her to Ryan's plan and calling her a Medicare killer. Corwin insists she's the one trying to save it. "The national Democrats came down on this 'Oh, you're decimating Medicare!' message," she tells Dave Weigel of Slate. "They just sent it down to my opponent and let her run with it." Weigel's take: This "isn't really a fight over the Ryan plan. It's about which candidate loves Medicare more—or more accurately, about how the other candidate loves it less." So whose seat are the candidates trying to fill? Remember Craigslist cruiser Chris Lee? Read These Next Iran's new leader issued a defiant first statement. One critical island in Iran has remained unscathed in airstrikes. Country star cancels rest of his tour: 'I am mentally unwell.' FBI alert alleges Iran might have its eye on a US state. Report an error