PLATTSBURGH — The person elected to the 23rd Congressional District seat will face decisions on war, the economy, health-care reform and other critical issues.

Republican Dierdre "Dede" Scozzafava, Democrat William Owens and Conservative Party candidate Douglas Hoffman are all vying for the seat vacated when John McHugh was appointed secretary of the Army.

The 23rd District stretches across 11 counties from Lake Ontario in the west to Lake Champlain in the east.

It is one of the largest congressional districts east of the Mississippi River.

The Press-Republican recently asked the three candidates their views on a variety of issues. Here's what they had to say:

What are your views on abortion?

Hoffman: "I am pro-life."

Owens: "I believe in a woman's right to choose and that Roe vs. Wade is the law of the land, and as a member of Congress I will fight to protect these rights."

Scozzafava: "Abortion is a very difficult issue, and I strongly believe that we must work to reduce the number of abortions and increase the number of adoptions in America.

"Life is a precious gift, and while I strongly believe that adoption and pregnancy-prevention education are critically important, ultimately, a woman's choice about what to do with her body is not a decision that should be made by the government."

What position do you have on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how would you approach this issue if elected?

Hoffman: "As an Army veteran and someone who trained at Fort Drum, I am a big supporter of our military. I also know we must never forget 9/11. There are people in this world who want to kill us... and to destroy America and everything we stand for. The war against terrorism requires constant vigilance, and I would rather confront our enemies on their soil than on ours.

"As hard as these wars are, imagine how much they would be here ... and how many innocent American lives would be lost."

Owens: "As a veteran of Plattsburgh Air Force Base, I am concerned about the well-being of our soldiers overseas and those returning home. First, we need to ensure that whatever we do, it is done with our national security and the safety of our troops in mind.

"Our president is the commander in chief, and these decisions ultimately rest with him, but I encourage him to continue seeking the advice of and listening to the generals on the ground and our Secretary of the Army John McHugh before making any final determination about our future in Afghanistan or Iraq.

"Whatever the final decision is, I will always vote as a member of Congress to ensure that our troops and our veterans returning home have what they need to complete their mission."

Scozzafava: "When it comes to national security, the American people rely on our leaders in Washington to make the tough decisions and to do what's best for our country and for the brave men and women serving in the Armed Forces. If General McChrystal requests additional troops to successfully complete the mission he's been assigned, the commander in chief needs to support him and honor his request. If the administration intends to change strategy, then we need to reassess what that change in strategy means for our troops.

"I know from my experiences working within the Fort Drum community, that it's critically important for our servicemen and women to know that they have the full support of our leaders in Congress and the White House, whatever their mission may be.

"House Republican Leader John Boehner has committed that once I am elected, I will serve on the Armed Services Committee. I will use my position on that committee to advocate on behalf of Fort Drum and our fighting men and women. Our troops and our national security will always be a top priority for me."

What are your views on health-care reform, and what is your plan?

Hoffman: "There are three things we can do to improve care and reduce costs.

"We can enact tort reform so doctors no longer have to practice defensive medicine.

"Since competition would result in better care and lower costs, we should eliminate the regulations and red tape that prevent the 1,300 insurance providers in the country from competing in all 50 states.

"And we must eliminate the $180 billion in waste and fraud that President Obama says exists in the Medicare system."

Owens: "I am committed to quick and responsible health-care reform to help the millions of Americans who don't have affordable health care, as well as for those who have inadequate care or live in fear that their coverage may not be there when they really need it.

"As a member of Congress, I will support legislation that makes coverage available to more Americans at less cost, protects small businesses, allows anyone covered today to keep their plan and prevents insurance companies from denying care based on pre-existing conditions.

"At the same time, I oppose any plan that would tax health-care benefits, raise taxes on the middle class or cut Medicare benefits."

Scozzafava: "America's health-care system is broken, and Congress must act to implement meaningful reform to address the escalating costs and the high number of uninsured.

"While I support a multi-faceted, cost-cutting approach, I strongly oppose the Democratic proposal to pay for their health-care plan by cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicare and eliminating the tax benefit for employers who provide health insurance.

"If we are going to cut costs, we have to increase competition. To increase competition, we must allow consumers to purchase insurance across state lines. Unlocking the market will drive costs down by forcing insurance providers to compete for millions of new customers, making insurance affordable to many who currently don't have the means to purchase it.

"Another key to decreasing the cost of insurance is implementing much-needed tort reform to eliminate the frivolous lawsuits that are driving up costs on the entire system, costs which are passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums.

"In the 23rd District and rural communities throughout America, even those who do have an insurance card in their wallet still may not have access to health care. I strongly favor reforms that will dramatically improve access by bringing more doctors and specialists to these areas that so desperately need quality care."

How would you protect the economy of the North Country, and what steps would you take to deal with the nation's burgeoning deficit?

Hoffman: "The growing federal deficit is a millstone on our economy, and we must do everything we can to reduce it. The answer is simple, we must cut spending and live within our means. I have pledged to fight wasteful pork and to eliminate waste.

"We also need to reduce the regulations, red tape and taxes that are killing job growth so our economy can grow and, in doing so, increase tax revenues without raising the tax rates.

"By stimulating businesses to create jobs and by reducing the burdens on job growth, we will be doing the most important things we can to help the economy of the North Country."

Owens: "I have spent my career in our community helping to create over 2,000 jobs through the redevelopment of Plattsburgh Air Force Base and by bringing Canadian companies to our area. In Congress, I will fight for job-creating initiatives like clean energy, help Upstate New York use our colleges and tech schools to recruit jobs, cut waste and take away tax breaks from companies that send jobs overseas.

"Moreover, we have to take a serious look at why our dairy farmers are being paid less for their milk even as consumers are paying more at the store. By creating jobs and protecting our farmers, we can help decrease the deficit, put our economy back on track and put Upstate New York back to work."

Scozzafava: "I believe it is businesses — and not the government — that create jobs. Time and again, I have fought government waste and overspending. I voted against Gov. (David) Paterson's budget, which was fraught with billions in careless spending and burdensome tax increases that working men and women can't afford.

"There is no such thing as a jobless recovery, and if we want to bring back jobs, we must implement low-tax, pro-growth policies at both the state and federal level.

"Specifically, I have advocated for the following: making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, a permanent repeal of the 'death tax,' permanently fixing the Alternative Minimum Tax to keep it from hitting the middle class, earmark reform, eliminating individual earmarks that do not meet the 'greatest need, greatest good' test, infrastructure investment in water and sewer development, roads and bridges and rural access to broadband."

E-mail Joe LoTemplio at: jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com