Nearly two weeks after North Country GOP brass rallied behind Elise Stefanik, Republican Matt Donheny said this morning that he’ll still make a third bid for the seat in the 21st Congressional District.

Doheny, who runs a Watertown investment firm and who lost close races to incumbent Democrat Bill Owens in 2010 and 2012, said in a statement that he received “an outpouring of encouragement from friends, family, neighbors, party leaders, elected officials and a few local newspapers” urging him to run.

The race was thrown wide open in January when Owens, first elected in 2009, abruptly announced he would not seek another term, sending Democrats scrambling to find his successor while Stefanik consolidated support among the sprawling 12-county district’s Republican and Conservative brass.

On Feb. 7, Stefanik, of Essex County, won the endorsement of 11 of 12 GOP county chairs in the district — the lone outlier being the chair in Doheny’s hometown Jefferson County, who abstained.

Disunity cost the GOP dearly in 2009 when a bitter Republican-Conservative rift essentially handed the election to Owens, a Plattsburgh Democrat. Doheny almost certainly would have ousted Owens in 2010 — losing 82,232 to 80,237 — if Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman had not siphoned off 10,507 votes.

Hoffman already backed Stefanik in the race.

“I’ve made a career out of finding ways to create growth opportunities, turn troubled companies around, balance budgets and protect American jobs,” Doheny said. “I want to apply that expertise to the problems facing Congress, while helping my community – the North Country, Adirondacks and Capital Region – attract good-paying jobs that are vital in the 21st century economy.”

Within hours of Doheny’s email announcement, Stefanik issued a statement (full text below) welcoming “new candidates to this race.”

“As the only candidate in this race with small business experience in Upstate New York, I believe my background provides the experience and perspective needed to best advocate on behalf of the challenges of our struggling Main Street economy in the 21st District,” she said.

Joe Gilbert, a Tea Party activist from St. Lawrence County, is also in the Republican race.

Democrats, meanwhile, have endorsed documentary filmmaker Aaron Woolf.

One prominent national forecaster rates the race as a toss-up. The district, New York’s largest, includes northern Saratoga County as well as Warren and Washington counties and points north to the Canadian border.

Here’s Doheny’s full release, followed by Stefanik’s:

WATERTOWN – Matt Doheny today announced his bid for New York’s 21st Congressional District seat. “I was honored that more than 120,000 voters chose me to represent them during the last election,” said Doheny. “Many told me they appreciated my real-world experience in tackling tough problems and working together with competing interests to find common ground. That approach and real-world experience is sorely needed in a Congress too full of career insiders.” “My parents taught me the value of hard work, and I owe my success to the North Country values they instilled in me,” said Doheny. “While I had to leave the North Country for a time to continue my career, this will be my home for the rest of my life; and I’m committed to helping the next generation – including my seven-month-old son, Declan – follow their dreams right here at home.” “I’ve made a career out of finding ways to create growth opportunities, turn troubled companies around, balance budgets and protect American jobs,” said Doheny, a Watertown businessman. “I want to apply that expertise to the problems facing Congress, while helping my community – the North Country, Adirondacks and Capital Region – attract good-paying jobs that are vital in the 21st century economy.” Doheny managed the distressed assets division of a Fortune 500 company for eight years. He became an expert in both identifying what caused companies to fail and how to improve them so that they could stay in business and retain American jobs. Doheny later formed his own local investment firm and now uses his acquired knowledge in turnarounds, development and business reforms while serving on the boards of directors of several national companies, such as Kodak, YRC Worldwide and Affinity Gaming. Doheny, the son of Sandra “Kay” and the late Richard Doheny, grew up in the North Country and graduated from Alexandria Central School. In weighing his run, Doheny received an outpouring of encouragement from friends, family, neighbors, party leaders, elected officials and a few local newspapers. “I was humbled by strangers who stopped me in the grocery store or at the gas station and urged me to run again. Several friends I met on the campaign trail called and offered an encouraging word,” said Doheny. “I’m going to be out there every day working hard to get elected and be a good representative for them in Congress.” Doheny will seek the Republican, Independence and Conservative party lines for the Nov. 4 election. He was all three parties’ candidate during the 2012 election – one of the closest House races in the nation. Rep. Bill Owens won by 1.9 percent in a district in which President Barack Obama carried by 6.1 percent. Doheny was also part of one of the closest House races in 2010, with just 1,990 votes separating him from the incumbent – while a fellow Republican who stayed on the Conservative Party line received 10,507 votes. BIO: MATT DOHENY, 43, was raised in Alexandria Bay. He is a graduate of Allegheny College and received his law degree at Cornell University. After practicing law in Syracuse, he jumped into the business world. At Deutsche Bank, he managed more than 130 individuals while helping purchase and improve large troubled companies. In 2008, Matt joined Fintech Advisory, a money management firm. He left Fintech in 2010 and started his own business, North Country Capital LLC, which is based in Watertown. Doheny has previously taught finance and business courses at both Clarkson University and Jefferson Community College. He is a member of the Flower Memorial Library Board of Directors, and Italian-American Civic Association. Matt and his wife, Mary, reside in Watertown with their 7-month-old son, Declan.

And Stefanik’s: