One New Yorker thinks Sarah Palin gave the GOP a big boost: Bob Straniere, who’s running to replace Representative Vito Fossella as the sole Republican in the city’s congressional delegation. “New York is in play,” declares the candidate, who often refers to the “McCain-Palin-Straniere ticket.” He expects his district to be McCain’s strongest in the Northeast. “This seat’s been Republican for 28 years,” he says. “The McCain-Palin numbers are going to be awesome.” Straniere’s case was bolstered last week by a poll showing Obama with a mere five-point lead in the state. But two later polls gave the Democrat a much more comfortable advantage. “I’m not saying we’re going to carry the state,” Straniere concedes. “But it’s back in play.”
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