House Seats Of Congressmen Mark Souder, Eric Massa Won't Be Filled Until November

The special elections to fill the vacant seats of Indiana's 3rd and New York's 29th congressional districts will not occur until Nov. 2, the same day as the general election.

Gov. Mitch Daniels announced the decision for Indiana's House seat Friday. He said the cost of a special election and convenience to the voting public outweigh having a member of Congress in place before then.

Former Rep. Mark Souder resigned May 21 after admitting an affair with an aide. Those seeking to succeed him include Democrat Tom Hayhurst and three Republican state lawmakers: Reps. Wes Culver of Goshen and Randy Borror of Fort Wayne and Sen. Marlin Stutzman of Howe.

Souder's former staff members will keep their jobs, reporting to the House clerk, until the new representative is elected.

New York Gov. David Paterson called earlier in the month for a special election on Nov. 2 to fill the seat held by former U.S. Rep. Eric Massa, who resigned amid an investigation into whether he sexually harassed male staffers.

Massa resigned in March. Paterson said then he would call a special election to replace the Democrat as quickly as possible. But Wednesday he said concerns about new electronic voting machines and the cost of a special election had persuaded him to wait.

GOP strategists say Paterson delayed to boost Democratic chances of keeping the 29th Congressional District seat, in western New York. The seat is believed to be ripe for a Republican takeover.