Will Democrats rally to Owens?

The pick of Bill Owens to run in the McHugh-seat special election was a sign that Democrats are playing this one to win.

But some of the blog traffic here has suggested disenchantment with a relatively conservative guy who has no track record as a Democratic Party activist.

Indeed, a cursory web search (and trust me, someone’s doing detailed oppo research even as I type) turns up some donations Owens made to a Republican candidate back in the late 1990s.

Owens donated approximately $750 to GOP Senator Alphonse D’Amato over a couple of election cycles.

Owens has some political cover here. It happens that former Sen. D’Amato is also a close family friend of Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

But getting the Dem base on board will be an important step for a political newcomer in this race. And his support for a Republican candidate won’t help…