Democrats hope they can win back one seat in the U.S. House today, as voters go to the polls in western New York to fill the House seat of the Congressman who resigned after it was disclosed that he uploaded shirtless photos of himself searching for a date with a woman who wasn't his wife.

It's a district that definitely trends Republican, as John McCain even won it against Barack Obama in 2008.

But if we are to believe the polls, this election may be a bit different.

What's the big issue?

"Make no mistake, the issue that is moving the election is Medicare," said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), who has joined Democrats in arguing a win for their party in this district would be a prime repudiation of House GOP leaders and their policies.

Democrats have tried to turn this into a battle over GOP plans to make major reforms in Medicare, changes that were put forward by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).

The 26th District in New York was held by a second-term Congressman named Chris Lee - you remember him - he's the guy who posted the shirtless photographs of himself on Craigslist.

The world found out about them around 3 pm one day and by 5 pm, Lee had resigned his seat in the Congress.

One problem for GOP candidate Jane Corwin - as has happened in other New York special elections before - is that there is a Tea Party type candidate on the ballot, who could siphon votes away from the Republican line.

That candidate is Jack Davis, whose numbers have been dropping in the polls in recent weeks.

On the Democratic side, Kathy Hochul has eged ahead in some polls, as she tries to give her national party a big boost.

Both sides will try to spin the election results tonight. If Republicans win, they will cast it as evidence that people still support their plans to cut the size of government.

Democrats will say the tight race shows the opposite.

If Democrats win, they will try to argue that the GOP is heading over the cliff and that the voters have caught on.

Republicans will probably talk about how the candidate's message was no good or that the Tea Party candidate cost them the election.

The bottom line is who wins and who loses. We'll see what happens when the votes come in.