Opinion
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Scozzafava suspends campaign in face of declining support
By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
10/31/09 11:20 AM EDT
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| File photo |
It's official now, liberal New York Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava has suspended her campaign as the Republican nominee to succeed Rep. John McHugh, R-NY, in the Empire State's 23rd congressional district.
Scozzafava released the following statement earlier this morning:
"Today, I again seek to act for the good of our community," Ms. Scozzafava wrote in a letter to friends and supporters. "It is increasingly clear that pressure is mounting on many of my supporters to shift their support. Consequently, I hereby release those individuals who have endorsed and supported my campaign to transfer their support as they see fit to do so.
"I am and have always been a proud Republican. It is my hope that with my actions today, my party will emerge stronger and our district and our nation can take an important step towards restoring the enduring strength and economic prosperity that has defined us for generations."
Scozzafava's wthdrawal came hard on the heels of a Sienna Institute poll showing her campaign had imploded in barely a week since her husband called the cops on John McCormack, a reporter for The Weekly Standard, who persisted in asking her questions about her support for abortion on demand and granting of legal rights on the basis of an individual's sexual preference.
The Sienna poll show the race in a dead heat between Democrat Bill Owens with 36 percent and Conservative Party of New York nominee Doug Hoffman at 35 percent. Scozzafava drew support from only 20 percent of the Sienna respondents. RealClearPolitics has additional details on the poll.
UPDATE: Right reactions claim victory
Craig Shirley, conservative PR guru and author of "Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the campaign that changed America," who sees Scozzafava withdrawal as "a huge, huge black eye for the national Republican Party establishment and the first tangible sign that Reaganism is reasserting itself."
Chip Hanlon, RedCounty.com calls it "a very big win for principle and a loss for political expediency and cronyism."
Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:
"I had neglected to review the poll in much detail, but I suspect that Scozzafava’s withdrawal (or suspension, more accurately, since her name will stay on the ballot) hurts Bob Owens tremendously. According to the poll, Hoffman had attracted 50% of the Republican vote, while Owens had 2/3rds of the Democrats. Hoffman leads Owens among independents, 40%-35%, and the remaining 15% supporting Scozzafava will almost certainly break more towards Hoffman than Owens.
"Owens will likely get more of Scozzafava’s Democratic supporters, but she only had 11%, while 14% have already gone to Hoffman. Hoffman and Owens had a near-even split of the opposition in Scozzafava’s regional stronghold of Jefferson/Lewis/St. Lawrence counties, but I’d be surprised if Hoffman didn’t pick up more in those areas of disaffected Scozzafava voters, too."
Erick Erickson, RedState.com: "On this our hill to die on, we made the other poor schmucks die on it!"
Michelle Malkin: "Hey GOP elites, can you hear conservatives now?"
Adam Bitely, New Media activist: "This is a big day for the tea party movement. Not only did the tea party and conservative activists in New York and across the country take down the GOP establishment, they are changing the status quo of all elections to come. Now, we will have the upper hand when it comes to dealing with the inside politics of the GOP."
Dan Riehl,Riehl World View: "I don't know how Dede Scozzafava ends up in all this. But I don't mind going on record to say I don't begrudge her anything at all. She looks to have been recruited for this slot, then gotten caught up in a maelstrom. She's still a human being. But with the Albany Times Union pointing out that the NRCC slashed it's funding a week ago. And reports on the ground now confirming a pull-out. Well, it is what it is. Politics is hardball. And there are fast ones flying everywhere in this one."
Marjorie Dannenfelser, Susan B. Anthony List: “Dede Scozzafava’s courage and strength allowed her to make the choice to let the strongest candidate in her party move forward, and to serve the voters of the 23rd District.
“Dede Scozzafava has worked extremely hard to achieve the goal of becoming the next Congressman from New York's 23rd District. This must have been an incredibly difficult decision -- she did not get into the race to lose. It takes courage and strength to step back and make the best choice for her party, and for the voters of the 23rd District. Now it's time for the GOP to step up.”
“On behalf of conservative voters, activists, and volunteers across the district, I call on the national GOP to finally throw its full support and resources behind Doug Hoffman for Congress. A Hoffman victory is within sight.”
“Dede Scozzafava has worked extremely hard to achieve the goal of becoming the next Congressman from New York's 23rd District. This must have been an incredibly difficult decision -- she did not get into the race to lose. It takes courage and strength to step back and make the best choice for her party, and for the voters of the 23rd District. Now it's time for the GOP to step up.”
“On behalf of conservative voters, activists, and volunteers across the district, I call on the national GOP to finally throw its full support and resources behind Doug Hoffman for Congress. A Hoffman victory is within sight.”
UPDATE II: Hoffman issues statement
“This morning’s events prove what we have said for the last week; this campaign is a horserace between me and Nancy Pelosi’s handpicked candidate, Bill Owens. At this moment, the Democratic Party, the Working Families Party, ACORN, Big Labor and pro-abortion groups are flooding the district with troops and they are flooding the airwaves with a million dollars worth of negative ads. They are throwing mud; they are trying to stop me.
“It’s time for us to send a message to Washington—we’re sick and tired of big-spending, high-taxing, career politicians and by voting for me on Tuesday you will send that message loud and clear.”
UPDATE III: Palin backer cautions
Conservatives4Palin's Doug Brady offers a cautionary note for conservatives celebrating Scozzafava withdrawal, with reminder that there is still an election this coming Tuesday that could be won by liberal Democrat Bill Owens: "This is all great news, but it's not over yet folks. Scozzafava's name will still be on the ballot and the Democrat Party is pouring money into this race. Go to Doug Hoffman's website, open up those wallets, and dig deep if you can."
UPDATE IV: More background on Scozzafava decision
A knowledgable political consultant who prefers anonymity offers this assessment of why Scozzafava called it quits: Lack of volunteers all the way thru this. Never generated the enthusiasm needed to win. Never worked very hard.
UPDATE V: Are you listening, Washington GOP Establishment?
Erick Erickson points to the basic political lesson in Scozzafava debacle for the GOP "pros" in Washington, particularly those with the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee:
"The Republican Establishment in Washington, D.C. spent over $900,000.00 to elect Dede Scozzafava, who today abandons the race. How much more impact could that money have had if the GOP had listened to its base?
"Relationships between the Republican establishment in Washington and the conservative movement are in rubble. Thanks to Pete Sessions, Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, NOT Doug Hoffman, there is new inspiration for a third party movement to challenge the GOP - a movement that will only help the Democrats.
"Good men in the GOP are now going to be challenged in primaries because of the ill-will the NRCC has generated in New York's 23rd Congressional District.
"Make no mistake about it, the NRCC and the RNC must shoulder the blame for this fiasco. As has now been reported and confirmed, it was the Beltway Elite who pressured the New York GOP to choose Scozzafava.
"I have said all along that victory for the GOP base in NY-23 was a Scozzafava defeat. We should, however, rally to Doug Hoffman and help him win. Notwithstanding that, the time is now to be magnanimous in victory, but we must demand accountability.
"Someone, more than one person, must be fired for the Republican botching of NY-23. Heads must roll lest this happen again.
"And John Cornyn and the National Republican Senatorial Committee better be paying attention, see e.g. Charlie Crist v. Marco Rubio in Florida."
UPDATE VI: Viguerie says tea partiers are new GOP
Veteran conservative strategist and fund raiser Richard Viguerie says Scozzafava's withdrawal is only the beginning of the price that will be paid by Washington GOP establishmentarians:
“In her statement announcing suspension of her campaign in the special election for New York’s 23rd congressional district, Assemblywoman and liberal GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava refused to throw her support behind a fellow Republican, Doug Hoffman, who is running on the Conservative Party ticket in this particular race.
“That was one more example of the ‘closed tent’ mentality of big-government, establishment Republicans who have worked long and hard to keep conservatives out of power at the national, state and local levels.
“The GOP leadership’s backing of Ms. Scozzafava was a slap in the face to Tea Party activists, town hall protesters, and conservatives across the country. The Washington GOP establishment’s abandonment of fiscal responsibility led directly to the election of Barack Obama as President and Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. The American people see the GOP leadership and establishment every bit as much a part of the problem as the Democrats.
“Doug Hoffman and NY-23 is an earthquake in American politics, and is the first of many challenges to establishment Republicans that we will see for the 2010 elections and beyond. The stupid decision by Republican leaders to pour $900,000 into the NY-23rd race against a conservative has unleashed a fury that will lead to new GOP leadership.
“Conservatives anger at Washington-establishment Republicans will cost the national committees tens of millions of dollars as conservative money will start flowing directly to the Tea Parties and their candidates.”
UPDATE VII: Keene sees Hoffman as top race of 09
American Conservative Union president David Keene wonders who is crazy now:
"This race will have more impact on the Republican poltics than any other this year. I believe Hoffman will win on Tuesday, but regardless of the outcome, he and the conservative base of the Republican party have already won by proving that conservatives can no longer be ignored by an establishment that has all too often ignored those it is supposed to serve. Every once in a while, there is a race that can reshape politcs and this one in what many believed to be an obscure Adirondack's district is one that will be remembered for a long, long time.
"Establishment Republicans and quasi-conservatives like David Brooks were saying as recently as last night that those supporting Doug Hoffman against a candidate that he described as a centrist were 'crazy,' but with the New York GOP establishment bowing to popular pressure one wonders who should be dismissed as crazy. Scozzafava's decision to bail out today demonstrates that when people step up to the plate on matters of principle and work toward a common goal they can change the political world.
"There were winners in this one and there were losers. Fred Thompson, Mike Pence and Tim Pawlenty were big winners and Newt Gingrich, the Republican House Leadership and Michael Steele will always be remembered alond with the David Brooks of the world for their failure to 'get it.'"
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