Bill Owens (D-NY): Record for breaking campaign promises

November 7, 2009: Congressman Owens, D-NY

How fast can campaign promises be broken?

According to a home state news outlet, it took Congressman Bill Owens only an hour to break 4 of his campaign promises¹. While no reliable record keeping exists, this must be a record or tie for one.

The broken promises of Mr. Owens were as follows:

1. Cutting Medicare benefits,
2. Taxing healthcare benefits,
3. Increasing taxes on the middle class, and
4. That the “public option” of the healthcare bill² had no place in it.

Mr. Owens was elected from a predominantly Republican district against a Consevative Party opponent after the Republican candidate quit a few days before the election. The victory was close, and these broken promises might have been critical in swaying undecided voters.