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November 02, 2009
Former GOP Candidate Scozzafava Officially Supports DEM Owens After Talks With Chuck Shhumer
Scozzafava Endorses Democrat After Dropping Out of N.Y. Congressional Race
Republican Dede Scozzafava endorsed her former Democratic opponent Sunday in the race for an upstate New York congressional seat, one day after Scozzafava dropped out of the contest.
Scozzafava dropped out after Conservative Party candidate Dough Hoffman experienced a late-in-the-game surge. But on Sunday, Scozzafava backed Democrat Bill Owens -- the announcement was made in a statement send out by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
"I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same," she said. "In Bill Owens, I see a sense of duty and integrity that will guide him beyond political partisanship. He will be an independent voice devoted to doing what is right for New York. Bill understands this district and its people, and when he represents us in Congress he will put our interests first."
Scozzafava was criticized by members of her party for being too moderate on social issues. However, it's unclear how much of an impact her endorsement will have as there were mixed messages coming out of the GOP -- a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said Saturday that Scozzafava was releasing her supporters to vote for Hoffman.
A changed race
Owens is best-equipped to represent NNY
Dierdre K. Scozzafava's decision to suspend her campaign for the 23rd Congressional District seat is a shocking development in what had already been an extraordinary race.
In her statement Saturday morning, the assemblywoman explained the reasons behind her decision: "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."
During the day Saturday, she began to quietly and thoughtfully encourage her supporters to vote for Democrat William L. Owens.
Ms. Scozzafava finished a distant third in the latest Siena Research Institute poll with 20 percent support of likely voters. Her opponents, Mr. Owens and Conservative Douglas L. Hoffman, garnered 36 percent and 35 percent respectively.
Dede Scazzafava officially endorsed democrat Bill Owens today after she held discussions with democratic New York Senator Charles Schumer.
SCOZZAFAVA BACKS OWENS, STUNS GOP
Lifelong Republican throws support to former Democratic rival
The Watertown Daily News reported:
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., was among those who urged Dierdre K. Scozzafava to endorse Democratic congressional candidate William L. Owens, the senator’s spokesman said Saturday.
The spokesman, Maxwell Young, said the senator called a number of north country political leaders after Ms. Scozzafava suspended her campaign and had more than one conversation with the Republican candidate ahead of her announcement. He said the senator also called other Democratic leaders about the situation, including White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
Mr. Owens said he was “honored” by the endorsement.
“Over the course of her career, Dede has always committed to serving the people of Upstate New York before serving a partisan agenda,” he said in a statement. “Now more than ever we need bipartisan solutions to help bring jobs to Upstate New York to get our economy back on track and move our country forward. Those are the kinds of priorities I will fight for in Congress because that’s the kind of leadership Upstate New York needs right now.”
Those in the camp of the Conservative candidate Douglas L. Hoffman called Ms. Scozzafava a turncoat.
“This afternoon Dede Scozzafava betrayed the GOP,“ Senior Communications Advisor Rob Ryan said in a statement. “She endorsed a Pelosi Democrat who will spend more, tax more, and push the liberal agenda that is dragging down this nation
Wild Thing's comment.......
The GOP needs to stop backing and financing RINO's. This is what moderate and liberal republicans do. They would rather see democrats win than any hated conservative. The GOP is just going to have to step back and get out of our way...let us pick the candidates. Scozzafava was fully endorsed by the RINO Chairman of the RNC, Michael Steele, and by his fellow RINO Newt Gingrich as well.
WAKE UP AMERICA!!
Posted by Wild Thing at November 2, 2009 06:50 AM
Comments
This is the woman Newt Gingrich supported. Newt sure called this one right.
Posted by: BobF at November 2, 2009 07:44 AM
Gosh, I hate those who run on the R ticket, claim to be republican and then vote completely democrat, don't you? She was fully endorsed by Acorn. She makes the NRA look bad. If I could vote there, I would vote Hoffman. See how her manager is backing Hoffman? Why doesn't she just jump ship and change her affiliation? Why? Because she couldn't get elected dog catcher on the D ticket!
Posted by: Lynn at November 2, 2009 08:15 AM
We've seen how the progressives have taken over the dem party. They would do the same to the republican party too. And are having some success at it. Scuzzafuvva and Steele are good examples. Farther left than dems of decades past.
Posted by: Jim at November 2, 2009 08:58 AM
The New York 23rd race is a referendum on Obama but also a day of reckoning for the McCain-Lindsey Graham-Schwartzengeger-Bill Crist wing of the Republican establishment. If Owens wins these "Thurston Howell" moderate/Rinos will use this as proof that America has veered leftward and "we" (conservatives) need to get out of the way. Victory will be claimed for the "moderate" (sellout) cause. They will take over the "Republican" party and assure permanant RadicLib control of America and permanant irrelevant minority status for the "Republican Party". Pray for Hoffman and maybe send him another $20 or so...
Posted by: Willy at November 2, 2009 09:16 AM
Surprise, surprise...She's backing the democrat and was coached by schmuckie Schumer. She may as well jump ship now and avoid the rush.
Tomorrow should be telling if, indeed, this is an election of protest against obama. Or it will say, that part of New York is filled with left wing lazy Liberals. Hoffman sounds like the real deal so hopefully he will win in a landslide giving credence to the notion that the Constituency is Pissed and is not going to take it any more.
Posted by: Mark at November 2, 2009 11:07 AM
BobF - Newt is in a small world of his own. He acts like he has dementia. Newt wants to talk and be seen, even if it is the wrong thing said at the wrong time. I just hope he doesn't try to run for the WH in 2010. He could water down the conservative vote and ruin it for all of us.
I sure hope Hoffman wins. It will be an arrow in the ass of the "moderate" wing of the RNC. Not that it would really change their line of thought. McCains surge when Sarah Palin joined up should have told the RNC that the base was very conservative. Instead the powers of the RNC turned on Sarah.
Saturday I received a letter from the RNC. It had one of those childish, 3rd grade level surveys and asked for a donation. I considered writing a nasty and sending their pre paid envelope back. Then I realized that would only make them know I was alive and they would step up their mailings. Also, I did not want to hurt the feelings of some volunteer. I would rather burn off anger at one of the guys on the payroll.
Posted by: TomR at November 2, 2009 12:12 PM
Now I know why even the ... FRENCH ... had a revolution!
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at November 2, 2009 07:47 PM
Thank you so much all of you.
Tom thanks for sharing about getting the
letter, questionaire in the mail. I did
the same thing, I got one a week ago.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 3, 2009 12:03 AM
