Original sentence: Lawrence counties, and Ulster County (City of Kingston, Villages of Woodstock and New Paltz).Often attributed to the region's semi-rural character, there is more conservatism in culture and politics than found in the more urban downstate area, and is the power base of the state's Republican Party
Edited sentence: Lawrence counties (influence of Canada), and Ulster County (City of Kingston, Villages of Woodstock and New Paltz).Often attributed to the region's semi-rural character, there is more conservatism in culture and politics than found in the more urban downstate area, and is the power base of the state's Republican Party, especially now that Long Island, a former Republican stronghold, has become slightly more Democratic than Republican.Some of the Religious Right's harshest critics within the Republican Party, in fact, have been Upstate New York Republicans such as Amo Houghton and Jack Quinn