Massa: Dems targeted me over healthcare

ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB) - First we heard he was resigning because of cancer, then it was an ethics probe over harassment claims from a male staffer, and now former southern tier congressman Eric Massa says fellow Democrats gave him the heave-ho over health care.

He's changed his tune over the past few days about why he is resigning, but Democrat Eric Massa made it official: he is no longer a member of the house. Over the weekend, the congressman went on his weekly radio show in Hornell and said he was targeted by Washington over the health care bill.

Massa had voted against his party's health reform legislation in November. A former 29th district congressman who lost to Massa two years ago is weighing in.

Randy Kuhl said, "Why did this all meltdown happen so quickly? And the reason, I believe, is to eliminate a potential embarrassment to the Democrat majority."

Kuhl says this resignation could affect the health care reform bill. A majority in Congress would be 216 votes.

"If you elect someone from this district, that number then jumps back up to 217. So when you take out a no vote and then drop the majority by one vote by his absence, you effectively gain two votes in that attempt to pass that bill," said Kuhl.

Massa talked about comments he made to a male staffer at a party that eventually got him reported to the House Ethics Committee. He said in a statement, "In that investigators would be free to ask anything about me going back to my birth, I simply cannot rise to that level of perfection. God knows that I am a deeply flawed and imperfect person."

Now four potential candidates could take his seat. Only one of them is a Democrat. Local Republicans say it's positive news for their party.

Rep. Chris Lee said, "I think it is an opportunity to pick up that seat."

The Governor could call a special election to be held as early as April to replace congressman Massa, although the seat could sit vacant until November depending on whether the Democratic majority pressures David Paterson to hold off.