In 2008, Rep. McHugh got 65% of the vote, so his replacement will probably be a Republican.
His hometown is Watertown, NY, where Fort Drum is the base for the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. The north country district he represents is usually pretty conservative. I worked with a lot of guys who were from those areas. They’re hunters, snowmobilers, hockey fans, etc. These guys liked their beer, and were tough. One of the toughest run maximum State prisons in the north is Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora. At least it still was when I retired in 2003. We’d get guys from Clinton who had been promoted to Sergeant or above. The affectionate name we had for them in the prison system was “Frozen Brains.” They liked to scrap, and didn’t take any crap from the convicts.