NY RACE BETWEEN HOFFMAN & SCOZZAFAVA HERALDS SHIFT IN REPUBLICAN PARTY
by John Charlton
(Oct. 26, 2009) —First Sara Palin broke ranks and endorsed the candidate who was not the Republican; now Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota has followed her lead. It’s increasingly evident that a civil war has broken out in the Republican Party, and the Republican conservatives are leading the fight.
The battle ground on which each side is testing its weapons is the NY special election in the 23rd Congressional District (Syracuse) on Nov. 3, next Tuesday, which will choose a replacement for Congressman McHugh.
The commanders on the ground are Republican Dede Scozzafava (Sicilian for “bean-husk”) and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman (German for “house-butler”). Democrat Bill Owens is running against both. Hoffman is currently in the lead in the polls.
Doug Hoffman was dismissed as a long shot, until just recently, when a new poll put him in first place. Erick Erikson of Redstate has been leading a grassroot-conservative effort of Republicans in support of Hoffman.
He has garnered the support of not only Sara Palin, the standard-bearer of the Republican cause, after last years National election fraud (on account of their being 3 ineligible candidates on the ballo), but also of Congressman Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, who is now running for the U.S. Senate seat in his home state; Dick Armey, House Majority Leader; Rick Santorum, and Fred Thompson, who today issued his own letter of endorsement.
Gov. Pawlenty gave Red State the following statement, regarding the Hoffman-Scozzafava battle:
We cannot send more politicians to Washington who wear the Republican jersey on the campaign trail, but then vote like Democrats in Congress on issues like card check and taxes. After reviewing the candidates’ positions, I’m endorsing Doug Hoffman in New York’s special election. Doug understands the federal government needs to quit spending so much, will vote against tax increases, and protect key values like the right to vote in private in union elections.
Redstate also reported the comments of Armey, on his support of Hoffman:
“We attract people by being small government conservatives,” Armey told me. “Big Government Republicans, though they call themselves Big Government Conservatives, do not win. I would tell the Republican Party leadership it cannot win if it insists on recruiting and supporting candidates out of step with the voters.”
Backing the establishment candidate, Scozzafava are leading names in the Republican universe, such as Newt Gingrich.
Other leading “lights” of the Republican cause have refused to endorse Hoffman: former Gov. Mike Huckabee. While the Republican National Congressional Committee is running attack ads against Hoffman.
Support for Hoffman by many Republican conservatives is seen by many to signal their tactical counter-attack on the liberals in the party, after the latter hijacked the 2008 National campaign and got their man McCain on the losing ticket.
Scozzfava is criticized for supporting a host of liberal positions, along with a smattering of conservative ones; and has some unusually political ties for a Republican, such as her husband being the local leader of the AFL-CIO.
Scozzafava garnered fame for her political imprudence, last week, when she held a press conference in front of the headquarters of her opponent: this video at YouTube captured the moment: