Owens wins Week Seven, with an assist from two Presidents

In the summer, Bill Owens wasn’t even a Democrat. Now he has two Democratic presidents — one current and one former — throwing him on their shoulders.

Normally, this kind of backing would be a curiosity, but in this race Owens is still scrambling to build loyalty among rank-and-file Democratic voters.

There’s no faster way to get there than to link arms with Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, men who still enjoy sky-high approval-ratings among progressives.

Another sign that Owens could solidify his base was the backing of the Working Families Party.

WFP flirted with endorsing Republican Dede Scozzafava (as they have for her Assembly races) but criticism from conservatives forced her to distance herself from the progressive party.

(Her campaign spokesman says Scozzafava didn’t seek the WFP nod.)

This gives Owens one more spot on the ballot, and little more liberal credibility, which could matter in a low-turnout race.

Finally, Owens continues to benefit from the escalating dust-up between movement conservatives and the GOP.

The battle has been a major distraction and drew widespread national press attention this week.

Democrats clearly feel that Republican disarray has given them a shot at winning a district that has never gone for the Ds since the two parties were founded.

Now on to the other candidates…

Dede Scozzafava had a very good week, picking up crucial endorsements from labor groups and an even more timely nod from the National Rifle Association and sportsmen’s groups.

That gives her some much-needed conservative cred.

Also, stealing some of the unions away from Owens could deny him some of the boots-on-the-ground support that helped push Glens Falls Democrat Scott Murphy over the top last spring.

Once again, the only thing wrong with Scozzafava’s campaign is that nasty conservative insurgency that keeps hitting her from the right.

Not much she can do about it at this point except keep fighting, and that’s what she’s doing.

Finally, Doug Hoffman finally went up with a personal ad introducing himself to voters — a TV spot that shows him with very shiny yellow hair.

Until now, his ads had all been negative attack spots, so this was an important step for Hoffman. Voters like to pull the lever for people, not arguments.

Also, Hoffman continued to win passionate support from national conservative groups.

There’s every indication that he’ll be well funded right through November 3rd, which means he’s unlikely to fade.

Is Hoffman keeping it close enough that he could actually win? That’s highly debatable. But he’s certainly becoming a bigger and bigger factor.

I think one thing’s certain: Without Hoffman, Scozzafava would be a shoo-in at this point. But as things stand, this race is a complete toss-up.