This is a story that I have not talked about much, if at all, but because of the conflict between the grassroots conservatives and the institutional Republicans I feel I should. It involves a now vacant New York Congressional seat in a Republican district, NY-23.
Let me bring you up to speed, in case you have not been following it either.
On June 2nd, President Obama nominated Rep. John McHugh to the position of Secretary of the Army. McHugh’s Congressional seat was then up for grabs in a special election scheduled for November 3rd.
On July 16th, Brian Faughnan at Red State wondered if the New York GOP would nominate liberal Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, “a union supporter who has voted for gay marriage, and has pledged to support abortion rights in the state.” To the astonishment to conservatives across the country, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava was nominated to run for McHugh’s seat. Faughnan points out that Scozzafava is so liberal, the Democrats wanted her for their ticket.
On August 4th, Erick Erickson wrote about a man named Doug Hoffman, citing that while he was generally against the idea of third parties, this race in NY-23 was an exception.
We don’t need a third party in this country. And it is too hard to set one up anyway. But there is a viable third party in New York that conservatives can use to remind the GOP what happens when the local Republican Party rejects the Republican platform. Above all else, we must make sure Scozzafava is defeated.
On September 1st, Aaron Blake at The Hill noticed something. There was a third party candidate that was starting to change the game.
Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman is beginning to look like he might be a force in the upcoming New York special election.
On September 9th, polling showed “Republican Dede Scozzafava with 30% of the vote, Democrat Bill Owens with 20% and Hoffman with 19%.”
On September 24th, Josh Kraushaar at the Politico notices the race, calling it a free for all where “any one of the three candidates having a shot to win.”
Erick Erickson wrote about Scozzafava again on September 24th, this time noting her connection to ACORN:
We have broken down in detail how ACORN has its own political party called the Working Families Party in New York. When a candidate appears as a Working Families Party candidate in New York, it is a signal that this is the candidate ACORN is putting up.
In New York’s 23rd Congressional District, the Republican Party rushed to nominate Dede Scozzafava as the replacement for Congressman McHugh, now in the Obama administration. It turns out that Scozzafava is also an ACORN backed candidate having received the Working Families Party endorsement on numerous occasions.
On September 28th, Jim Geraghty reports at The Corner that Hoffman has the support of Fred Thompson.
On October 1st, founder of the Daily Kos, Markos Moulitsas, endorses Scozzafava, saying “she’s been willing to raise taxes when budgets require it, and is to the left of most Democrats on social issues…” Nice. For the record, we now have the Daily Kos and the NRCC working together to elect the same candidate. That’s what I call a “red flag.”
On October 8th, The Prowler reports at The American Spectator that National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Pete Sessions lashed out at conservatives who questioned why the NRCC was supporting a liberal over a conservative:
Sessions, according to sources, angrily responded to the criticism, though not directly defending Scozzafava. According to NRCC staff, Scozzafava was viewed as the “most cooperative” candidate of a group put forward by local Republican Party bosses in the 23rd District. “She wasn’t going to be a loose cannon and the money was happy with her,” says one NRCC source, saying that “money” referred to a pool of high-dollar donors with ties to former New York Governor George Pataki. “Ideally, we wanted someone who could self-finance, but we didn’t have anyone like that,” says the NRCC source. “Then we went with someone who would have a natural pool of donors; [Scozzafava] met that criteria.”
On October 9th, Ramesh Ponnuru highlighted the biggest problem with the GOP. They put party over principle. So much that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) was running attack ads against the only conservative in the race. Brilliant.
Just an aside, but what is better: a sitting Republican who votes to the left of most Democrats, or a sitting Democrat who could be defeated in a year or two? The MaryHunter at Moonbattery knows:
When victory is only measured through short-term wins by RINOs who would just as soon lick the toes of ACORN in order to get elected, the Grand Old Party will continue to fail.
Also on October 9th, Maggie Gallagher writes at The Corner about the conflict that is brewing in NY-23:
The Club for Growth is leading the charge for Conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman, along with the American Conservative Union, Susan B. Anthony List, and many others.
On October 14th, Hoffman announces that he has Scozzafava on the run, but needs a bit of loot. Robert Stacy McCain writes:
On his campaign Web site, Hoffman announced a fund-raising target of $125,000 this week. Noting that his opponent has previously been supported by ACORN and is currently a favorite of the liberal Daily Kos blog, Hoffman said his campaign has been “adopted” by the grassroots conservative Tea Party movement.
Hoffman has been endorsed by the “9/12″ organization — the political arm of the Tea Party movement, which staged major rallies on Sept. 12, including the 9/12 March On DC — and says the grassroots activists are the foot soldiers of his campaign.
He recently held “six regional meeting with the Tea Party people,” Hoffman said, and many visitors to his Web site have made online contributions of $9.12. The conservative Red State blog recently a $250,000 fund-raising goal for Hoffman’s campaign.
On the same day, Erick Erickson at Red State notes that the RNC hasn’t given Scozzafava a dime. That changes on October 16th, when the RNC gives “a six-figure transfer in order to run more advertising on behalf of Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava (R).”
Then, Newt drops a bomb:
“The special election for the 23rd Congressional District is an important test leading up to the mid-term 2010 elections,” Gingrich said of Scozzafava’s candidacy in a statement to supporters, as reported by the The Post-Standard. “Our best chance to put responsible and principled leaders in Washington starts here, with Dede Scozzafava.”
On October 15, Siena Research Institute’s polling showed Hoffman rising seven points in 15 days, while Scozzafava dropped five points in the same time, leading Siena pollster Steven Greenberg to write, ““Scozzafava’s seven-point lead has evaporated over the last two weeks, as voters have gotten to know all the candidates better.”
On October 17th, Hoffman posts a guest post on All American Blogger. Just kidding, he went to Michelle Malkin’s place:
If you want to join my fight, I need you. We need money and we need volunteers – boots on the ground. If you can help, go to my website and sign up. Then show up.
It’s time for conservatives to show the Republican establishment who’s in charge.
The next day, Malkin publishes a column titled, “An ACORN-Friendly, Big Labor-Backing, Tax-and-Spend Radical in GOP Clothing,” writing, “This race isn’t a fight over the heart and soul of the Republican Party. It’s a battle over its brain.”
Dan Riehl is still trying to figure out how Scozzafava got the nod in the first place, and thinks it might be Dick Nixon’s son in law.
On October 19th,Dick Armey endorses Doug Hoffman.
The same day the Club for Growth and Club for Growth PAC announces a $300,000 advertising campaign for Hoffman, featuring this ad:
On October 20th, Scozzafava was asked some questions by The Weekly Standard reporter John McCormack. He got a visit from the cops.
No…really:
“Minutes later a police car drove into the parking lot with its lights flashing. Officer Grolman informed me that she was called because ‘there was a little bit of an uncomfortable situation’ and then took down my name, date of birth, and address. “‘Maybe we do things a little differently here, but you know, persistence in that area, you scared the candidate a little bit,’ Officer Grolman told me. ‘[Scozzafava] got startled, that’s all,’ Officer Grolman added. ‘It’s not like you’re in any trouble.’” In thug politics, this is what they call “delivering a little message.” You’re not in trouble, this time.
John Gizzi at Human Events declares the NY-23 race an official national conservative crusade.
On October 20th, Steve Virkler reports in the Watertown Daily Times that Scozzfava’s husband called the po-po on McCormack.
In a bizarre move, Scozzfava spokesmand Matt Burns forwarded e-mails between him and McCormack to liberal blog Talking Points Memo. Hoffman then called for Scozzafava to withdraw from the race:
“It’s obvious that with every passing day and with every drop in the polls, Dede Scozzafava is becoming more desperate,” said Hoffman’s senior communications adviser Rob Ryan. “The best thing she can do for her own career and for the Republican Party is to drop out of this race.”
On October 20th, Chris Cillizza of The Fix reports, “Sources on both sides of the partisan aisle suggest that internal polling shows Scozzafava in third place now.”
On October 21st, Jimmie Bise notes at The Other McCain that it was the grassroots that made the difference in this race, not the thousands of dollars from the RNC or the endorsements of the establishment GOP.
Also on October 21st, Scozzafava goes on the attack and gives Hoffman some more visibility by conducting a stunt press conference in front of his campaign office. As I noted, it didn’t go well for her. How tired does she look in that photo, by the way?
On October 22nd, Dave Wiegel at the Washington Independent reports that Rep. Michelle Bachman endorsed Hoffman, making her “the first incumbent Republican to back the Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman over Republican Dede Scozzafava in the roiling NY-23 special election.”
The same day, Jim Geraghty at The Corner adds to the chorus of conservatives calling for Scozzafava to step down. He learns he’s not alone:
My, what a strange coincidence. It seems that the egregiousness of Scozzafava’s behavior has prompted similar sentiments at RedState, RedCounty, the Washington Examiner, the Washington Times, Ace of Spades, BigGovernment.com and perhaps other places before the day is done. Why, it’s almost as if the natural response to a candidate attacking one conservative journalist was to spur all of them to unite to make that candidate’s life miserable or something.
Again on the 22nd, The Fix reports Doug Hoffman’s campaign donations top $210,000…in a week.
At 5:28 pm, Sarah Palin endorses Hoffman. The next day, Hoffman raises $116,000. (Understand, the $116,000 in campaign donations were not for a 24 hour period. They were made from Thursday morning to Thursday evening. They received that much in less than 24 hours.)
Ed Morrissey writes:
If nothing else, this confirms the power that Palin has with the conservative base. She can raise money hand over fist, even with some considerable negatives with other constituencies. If Hoffman winds up winning this election, Palin will become a very popular woman in the 2010 campaign, especially in Blue Dog Democrat districts where conservatives have grown appalled by the direction of a Democratic Congress. Even if he doesn’t, this has been an impressive demonstration of influence and power.
On October 23rd, Erick Erickson reports “It appears Dede Scozzafava is funneling RNC, NRCC, and donor dollars through her campaign account to her family.”
An October 23rd poll shows “a close race, with Democrat Bill Owens leading Republican Dede Scozzafava 35 to 30 percent, with Conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman at 23 percent.”
So, that’s where we sit right now. If you want to donate to Doug Hoffman’s campaign, click here.
I pray he pulls it off. This is bigger than NY-23. A message has to be sent and it has to be heard. The GOP candidate losing to a conservative third party would be loud and clear.
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I just donated to his campaign. Why, he’s in new york. Because this shit pisses me off when the Republican party can’t tell it’s ass from it’s head. The Democratic party (at least at the top) is worse, so I might just become an independent soon… It’ll depend on who runs for President in 2012.
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The RealClearPolitics.com website now has Hoffman in the lead from two recent polls ( http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2009/house/ny/new_york_23rd_district_special_election-1119.html ).
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