Thread: GOP officials: We won't abandon Scozzafava

GOP officials: We won't abandon Dede

By ALEX ISENSTADT | 10/25/09 12:29 PM EDT


Congressional candidate Dede Scozzafava, who supports gay marriage, abortion rights and has a close relationship with leading labor officials in her region, has been the target of sustained criticism from conservatives who claim she is too liberal for them to support her candidacy. Photo: Courtesy

The National Republican Congressional Committee remains committed to embattled GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava in the upstate New York House special election, even as many of the party's top names throw their support to Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman.

Two party officials tell POLITICO that the NRCC will continue to air TV ads propping up Scozzafava in the days leading up to the Nov. 3 contest and plans to keep up a near relentless barrage of press releases slamming Hoffman.

Scozzafava, a state assemblywoman who supports gay marriage, abortion rights and has a close relationship with leading labor officials in her region, has been the target of sustained criticism from conservatives who claim she is too liberal for them to support her candidacy.

Hoffman, an accounting executive, is attracting an ever-growing group of conservative backers, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) have also endorsed the third-party candidate.

Public and private polls have shown Hoffman gaining on Scozzafava but both trail the Democratic nominee, attorney Bill Owens.

For the NRCC, the decision to remain steadfast in support of the GOP nominee is premised on the belief that, despite Hoffman’s apparent momentum in the contest, Scozzafava remains the party’s best hope of holding the seat, which has been vacated by Republican Rep. John McHugh.

The NRCC plans to spend between $200,000 and $300,000 on TV ads in the final week-and-a-half of the campaign. The ads will focus on Owens and Scozzafava and will not mention Hoffman.

One GOP official, granted anonymity in order to discuss party strategy candidly, said that while a Republican victory remained far from certain, Scozzafava’s following in the North Country-based district made her a better bet to win the remaining batch of undecided voters than Hoffman, who despite his personal ties to the district is nevertheless a resident of Lake Placid in New York’s neighboring 20th District and cannot vote in the race.

“It’s all a geographic play,â€

[quote]For the NRCC, the decision to remain steadfast in support of the GOP nominee is premised on the belief that, despite Hoffman’s apparent momentum in the contest, Scozzafava remains the party’s best hope of holding the seat, which has been vacated by Republican Rep. John McHugh.

The NRCC plans to spend between $200,000 and $300,000 on TV ads in the final week-and-a-half of the campaign. The ads will focus on Owens and Scozzafava and will not mention Hoffman.

One GOP official, granted anonymity in order to discuss party strategy candidly, said that while a Republican victory remained far from certain, Scozzafava’s following in the North Country-based district made her a better bet to win the remaining batch of undecided voters than Hoffman, who despite his personal ties to the district is nevertheless a resident of Lake Placid in New York’s neighboring 20th District and cannot vote in the race.

“It’s all a geographic play,â€

The National Republican Congressional Committee is apparently as deaf, dumb, and blind as most of the GOP. They are pathetic. They would endorse a liberal Progressive socialist-wannabe, as long as that person has an "R" after their name.

At this point, I think it would be worth it to lose this NY seat if necessary, to send a message to the GOP. As long as Hoffman gets a lot more votes than Scozzafava, I don't even care if Hoffman gets fewer than the Democrat and loses. I don't care if it splits the conservative vote. I used to think I shouldn't vote for a third party/independent because it would split the conservative vote. But as Glenn Beck pointed out tonight, we HAVE to change this attitude, or we will just continue to get more RINO RepubliCONs. Nothing will change, it will just continue to get worse.

We'll continue to get more Lindsey Grahamnestys and more Juan McCains, telling us we need to "expand the tent", "reach out to this or that group", that we are just "a party of angry white guys", blah, blah, blah. I think when ol' Grahamnesty made this last statement recently, he was just projecting his own angry white guyness.

Its now or never.

I am praying Hoffman wins this. Heaven help us.

I couldn't agree more... I am 100% with ya on this

Upstate NY has had an anchor around it's neck for a very long time. The taxes and dictates that have come from the NYC area and it's politics has left bitter results for the upstate region. After the results of the last election have sunk in and the aftermath of seeing what the RHINOS run amuck have left in there wake, this district has a chance to fire a shot that will be heard around the world. The two party system is quaking in their shoes. No matter how this race turns out, you can bet that both parties are paying very close attention. The WH is paying even closer attention. A break from the duopoly has just recieved it's biggest shot in the arm. All eyes are on a third party. Talk about upsetting the apple cart! There is no turning back.

Go Doug Hoffman!

Anybody know if the election is on paper or electronic?

roundabout wrote:

Go Doug Hoffman!

Anybody know if the election is on paper or electronic?

Dittos - Go Hoffman! I have no idea if the ballots are electronic or paper. You might check the website for that District/County Election Commission. Just curious, why? Because of differences in validity of the ballots, or speed of counting?

builditnow wrote,

Just curious, why? Because of differences in validity of the ballots,

I donot trust the computer voting systems anymore than I trust the political hacks that make up the parties. Just seems that the paper ballots have a more trustworty nature.

Go Doug Hoffman! The Neil Armstrong of politics! One small step for politics, one giant leap for a third party!

Hey GOP and Nat Republican Congress Committee: Check this out!! Looks like your liberal RepubliCON candidate might be losing ground. I know this is all just soooo confusing for you.

October 26, 2009
CFG Poll: Hoffman Leading in NY-23

Hoffman Surges Into Lead in NY-23
New CFG Poll shows Hoffman 31.3%, Owens 27.0%, Scozzafava 19.7%

Washington - A poll released today by the Club for Growth shows Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman surging into the lead in the special election in New York's 23rd congressional district to replace John McHugh, the former congressman who recently became Secretary of the Army.

The poll of 300 likely voters, conducted October 24-25, 2009, shows Conservative Doug Hoffman at 31.3%, Democrat Bill Owens at 27.0%, Republican Dede Scozzafava at 19.7%, and 22% undecided. The poll's margin of error is +/- 5.66%. No information was provided about any of the candidates prior to the ballot question.

This is the third poll done for the Club for Growth in the NY-23 special election, and Doug Hoffman is the only candidate to show an increase in his support levels in each successive poll. The momentum in the race is clearly with Hoffman.

"Hoffman now has a wide lead among both Republicans and Independents, while Owens has a wide lead among Democrats. Dede Scozzafava's support continues to collapse, making this essentially a two-candidate race between Hoffman and Owens in the final week," concluded Basswood Research's pollster Jon Lerner, who conducted the poll for the Club.

http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2009/10/cf ... _in_ny.php

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