Congress went out of session Aug. 1, but Rep. Randy Kuhl (R-Cattargus/Allegany/Steuben), along with most of his Republican House colleagues, spent seven days on Capitol Hill throughout August, arguing for a Republican-favored energy plan that includes offshore drilling.

Even while Eric Massa continued campaigning full-time against him in this high- profile rematch of the 2006 race, Kuhl was speaking about the GOP energy pitch on the empty House floor as a protest against the Democratic leadership. This, rather than much retail campaigning, has been his approach to the race this year.

"I'm working on what the people elected me to do," Kuhl said from his Washington, D.C., office. "I have not been campaigning four years for a job like my opponent has."

In this sprawling Congressional district that covers the state's Southern Tier and the southern Rochester suburbs, alternative energy-and potential job creation from this new industry-is seen as crucial to the vitality of New York's shrinking upstate region.
As important as the issue is to him as a congressman, Kuhl said it concerns him as a father as well.

"I have three sons. And where are they? Florida, California and Washington, D.C.," Kuhl said. "The jobs aren't there for them."

Kuhl and Massa are bringing the national fight for drilling to the local level, each making his case to voters on the strength of his energy plan.

Kuhl pushes for domestic drilling, whereas Massa supports giving states autonomy to decide on how to produce oil offshore and wants oil companies to drill on the 68 million acres of land leased from the federal government before drilling on federally protected land.

Kuhl is using the debate on energy to highlight his criticisms of a Democratic Congress that he feels has not delivered on the promises made in 2006, when the GOP lost the majority and when Kuhl narrowly defended his own seat against a strong challenge from Massa.

"The people two years ago were looking for change. They got it," Kuhl said. "Unfortunately, they got it in a worse way."

Though the campaigns are addressing national issues, the candidates have dredged up some personal attacks from the 2006 race, such as Massa's moving to the district in 2001 after retiring from the Navy or Kuhl's reluctance to debate.

During the last election, the candidates debated several times. This year, Kuhl has yet to commit to the six proposed debate schedules.

Kuhl, who was first elected to the Assembly in 1980 and served nine terms in the State Senate, is something of a political institution in the Southern Tier.

But in 2006, Massa, a Naval veteran and former aide to NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark, came within 6,000 votes of beating Kuhl in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 14 percent. Of the three upstate House Republicans targeted by Democrats in 2006, Kuhl is the only one running again.

Kuhl said he is not interested in leadership positions or high-ranking committee assignments in the House. He admits to not following the presidential campaign of Arizona Sen. John McCain and took a pass on the Republican National Convention.
"I truly tried in my entire years of  service to be more of a statesman than a politician," Kuhl said. "I have never been a county chairman. Could have been."

While Kuhl is in Washington, Massa, a disaffected Republican turned Democrat, has been making the rounds in his district to hammer his opponent by linking Kuhl to the Iraq War, free trade's effect on upstate jobs and the unpopularity of President George W. Bush.

His $1.4 million campaign account is flush with cash and in-kind contributions from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), unions and netroots fundraising through ActBlue. Given Kuhl's slim margin of victory in 2006, the DCCC is targeting the incumbent once more, infusing Massa's campaign with party cash and adding the district to its Red-to-Blue program. Nonetheless, the latest filings show Kuhl edging out Massa in fundraising by $37,000.

A second run for the seat, Massa said, is re-energizing his base.

"I learned a great deal by running in 2006, but so did the voters," Massa said. "They learned what Randy Kuhl's voting record is."
Despite the close race in 2006, Massa avoided a primary challenge from a candidate that felt Kuhl could be beat. David Nachbar, senior vice president of Bausch & Lomb, briefly entered the race but dropped out to avoid a primary by running instead for State Senate against incumbent James Alesi (R).

"We took a very strong and concerted effort to unify the party," Massa said.

As a resident of Corning in the rural, Republican Southern Tier-which makes up more than half of the district's voting base-Massa is using his anti-free trade policy positions and military bona fides to connect with the Republican voters he needs to win.

"In 1776," Massa said, "we took on some incumbents and we won."