An 11th-hour endorsement made the difference in one of the most closely watched races in the Nov. 3 election.

In a dramatic conclusion to a race that had garnered national attention, Plattsburgh attorney Bill Owens won the seat in the 23rd Congressional District, defeating Doug Hoffman, the Conservative party candidate.

After Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, R-Governeur, suspended her campaign just days before the vote, NYSUT extended an endorsement — along with its impressive get-out-the-vote operation — to Owens.

"Our members came out in droves to work for Owens and to stop Hoffman, an anti-union, anti-public employee candidate of the extreme right," NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin said.

The endorsement and turnout made the difference; polls released shortly before the election showed Owens trailing by as much as 5 points.

"We did help," said Pat Kush, a NYSUT political action coordinator representing members in the southern part of the district. "A lot of teachers get out and vote and we have an effective vehicle to help communicate." Kush is a member of the Fulton Teachers Association.

More than 300 NYSUT political activists made phone calls for Owens from phone banks in three NYSUT regional offices in the final 72 hours of the campaign. Nearly 30,000 NYSUT members live in the 23rd District.

Scozzafava's support for Owens, and the subsequent NYSUT endorsement, went a long way to increasing support for the relative political newcomer.

"It was an interesting feeling to start with phone calls endorsing Dede and end with phone bank calls endorsing Bill Owens," said Michele Bushey, a NYSUT PAC coordinator with the Saranac TA.

She said PAC members worked tirelessly to inform union members in the district of NYSUT's endorsement.

In addition to making hundreds of calls, members joined the AFL-CIO in making face-to-face contact with voters on last-minute walks throughout the district.

"We have a lot of great people in the North Country," she said. "During times like this, when we need them to take action, they do."

Noting Scozzafava's support for Owens, PAC coordinator Mike Montigelli of the Alexandra Central Faculty Association said, "We were bipartisan and loyal to a good friend. When Dede got pushed out of the race by right-wing conservatives, we got a chance to push back."

Owens will be the first Democrat to represent the heavily Republican district in more than 150 years.

The seat was vacated when longtime U.S. Rep. John McHugh, R-Watertown, was named U.S. Army Secretary.