GOP is finished.
source: New York Times
Upstate Republican Abruptly Suspends Race for Congress
A moderate Republican whose candidacy for an upstate New York Congressional seat had set off a storm of opposition from national conservative leaders abruptly withdrew on Saturday, emboldening the party’s right at a time when the Republican Party is enmeshed in a debate over how to rebuild itself after last year’s losses.
The candidate, Dede Scozzafava, said she was suspending her campaign in the face of collapsing support and evidence that she was heading for a loss in a three-way race on Tuesday involving a conservative candidate, Douglas Hoffman, and a Democrat, Bill Owens. Ms. Scozzafava had been under siege from conservative leaders because she supported gay rights and abortion rights and was considered too liberal on various fiscal issues.
The Republican National Committee, which had strongly backed Ms. Scozzafava’s candidacy, issued a statement applauding her decision and announcing it was now supporting Mr. Hoffman.
“Effective immediately, the RNC will endorse and support the conservative candidate in the race, Doug Hoffman. Doug’s campaign will receive the financial backing of the RNC, and get-out-the-vote efforts to defeat Bill Owens on Tuesday,” said Michael Steele, the party’s national chairman.
The decision by Ms. Scozzava seems likely to encourage conservatives going into next year’s mid-term elections, raising the prospects of more primaries against Republican candidates that they deem too moderate. Party leaders — including Mr. Steele and Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker — had argued that local parties should be permitted to pick candidates that most closely mirror the sentiments of the district, even if these candidates vary from Republican orthodoxy on some issues.
“This makes life more complicated from the standpoint of this: if we get into a cycle where every-time one side loses they run a third party candidate, we’ll make Pelosi speaker for life and guarantee Obama’s reelection,” said Mr. Gingrich, who had endorsed Ms. Scozzafava.
“I felt very deeply that when you have all 11 county chairman voting for someone that it wasn’t appropriate for me to come in and render my judgment,” he said. “I think we are going to get into a very difficult environment around the country if suddenly conservative leaders decide they are going to anoint people without regard to local primaries and local choices. “
Ms. Scozzafava’s withdrawal leaves a clear two-way race between Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Owens. As such, the contest on Tuesday could offer a test of this debate Republican leaders are having: whether it needs to adjust itself ideologically to expand its appeal to places like New York.
Mr. Hoffman had been endorsed by some of the party’s conservative luminaries, including Sarah Palin, the party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, a likely candidate for president in 2012. The swell of opposition to her was reflected on conservative radio talk shows and also in a heavy diet of television advertising supporting Mr. Hoffman that was financed by conservative groups.
Ms. Scozzafava did not say who, if anyone, she would endorse. Polls in the district showed that Mr. Owens and Mr. Hoffman were each drawing about 35 percent of the vote; several Republicans said that at least in theory, her withdrawal should help Mr. Hoffman as Republican voters join his campaign.
The district has long been solidly Republican and had been represented by Representative John M. McHugh, who stepped down after Mr. Obama named him secretary of the Army.
“In recent days, polls have indicated that my chances of winning this election are not as strong as we would like them to be,” Ms. Scozzafava said in a statement. “The reality that I’ve come to accept is that in today’s political arena, you must be able to back up your message with money — and as I’ve been outspent on both sides, I’ve been unable to effectively address many of the charges that have been made about my record.”
The decision by Ms. Scozzafava to suspend her campaign marks a clear victory for conservatives in the party at a time when there has been a pitched battle among party leaders over whether Republicans needed to change their ideological appeal as part of an effort to recover from the losses of 2006 and 2008. Ms. Scozzafava fit the model of candidate who had been advocated by such Republican leaders as Mr. Steeleand Senator John Cornyn of Texas: A candidate whose views might not be in keeping with much of the national party, but were more reflective of the district they are trying to win.
A similar primary is unfolding in Florida, where Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for Senate, is facing a challenge from a conservative, Mark Rubio, the former Florida House speaker. Mr. Crist has come under fire from conservatives for, among other things, supporting Mr. Obama on his economic stimulus package.
Mr. Cornyn said that he did not see other situations where Republicans could face a similarly divisive primary. He said that he expected Mr. Crist to win the nomination but that was confident either Mr. Crist or Mr. Rubio would win the seat that had been held by former Senator Mel Martinez of Florida, who stepped down.
Republican officials said that Ms. Scozzafava decided to drop out after reviewing private and public polls that convinced her that she was doing to come in third place. One Republican official said Ms. Scozzafava was concerned that she would be blamed as a spoiler if she stayed in the race and Mr. Owens won. National Republican leaders, increasingly worried about a Democratic win in the district, did nothing to try to dissuade her.
source: New York Times
Upstate Republican Abruptly Suspends Race for Congress
A moderate Republican whose candidacy for an upstate New York Congressional seat had set off a storm of opposition from national conservative leaders abruptly withdrew on Saturday, emboldening the party’s right at a time when the Republican Party is enmeshed in a debate over how to rebuild itself after last year’s losses.
The candidate, Dede Scozzafava, said she was suspending her campaign in the face of collapsing support and evidence that she was heading for a loss in a three-way race on Tuesday involving a conservative candidate, Douglas Hoffman, and a Democrat, Bill Owens. Ms. Scozzafava had been under siege from conservative leaders because she supported gay rights and abortion rights and was considered too liberal on various fiscal issues.
The Republican National Committee, which had strongly backed Ms. Scozzafava’s candidacy, issued a statement applauding her decision and announcing it was now supporting Mr. Hoffman.
“Effective immediately, the RNC will endorse and support the conservative candidate in the race, Doug Hoffman. Doug’s campaign will receive the financial backing of the RNC, and get-out-the-vote efforts to defeat Bill Owens on Tuesday,” said Michael Steele, the party’s national chairman.
The decision by Ms. Scozzava seems likely to encourage conservatives going into next year’s mid-term elections, raising the prospects of more primaries against Republican candidates that they deem too moderate. Party leaders — including Mr. Steele and Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker — had argued that local parties should be permitted to pick candidates that most closely mirror the sentiments of the district, even if these candidates vary from Republican orthodoxy on some issues.
“This makes life more complicated from the standpoint of this: if we get into a cycle where every-time one side loses they run a third party candidate, we’ll make Pelosi speaker for life and guarantee Obama’s reelection,” said Mr. Gingrich, who had endorsed Ms. Scozzafava.
“I felt very deeply that when you have all 11 county chairman voting for someone that it wasn’t appropriate for me to come in and render my judgment,” he said. “I think we are going to get into a very difficult environment around the country if suddenly conservative leaders decide they are going to anoint people without regard to local primaries and local choices. “
Ms. Scozzafava’s withdrawal leaves a clear two-way race between Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Owens. As such, the contest on Tuesday could offer a test of this debate Republican leaders are having: whether it needs to adjust itself ideologically to expand its appeal to places like New York.
Mr. Hoffman had been endorsed by some of the party’s conservative luminaries, including Sarah Palin, the party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, a likely candidate for president in 2012. The swell of opposition to her was reflected on conservative radio talk shows and also in a heavy diet of television advertising supporting Mr. Hoffman that was financed by conservative groups.
Ms. Scozzafava did not say who, if anyone, she would endorse. Polls in the district showed that Mr. Owens and Mr. Hoffman were each drawing about 35 percent of the vote; several Republicans said that at least in theory, her withdrawal should help Mr. Hoffman as Republican voters join his campaign.
The district has long been solidly Republican and had been represented by Representative John M. McHugh, who stepped down after Mr. Obama named him secretary of the Army.
“In recent days, polls have indicated that my chances of winning this election are not as strong as we would like them to be,” Ms. Scozzafava said in a statement. “The reality that I’ve come to accept is that in today’s political arena, you must be able to back up your message with money — and as I’ve been outspent on both sides, I’ve been unable to effectively address many of the charges that have been made about my record.”
The decision by Ms. Scozzafava to suspend her campaign marks a clear victory for conservatives in the party at a time when there has been a pitched battle among party leaders over whether Republicans needed to change their ideological appeal as part of an effort to recover from the losses of 2006 and 2008. Ms. Scozzafava fit the model of candidate who had been advocated by such Republican leaders as Mr. Steeleand Senator John Cornyn of Texas: A candidate whose views might not be in keeping with much of the national party, but were more reflective of the district they are trying to win.
A similar primary is unfolding in Florida, where Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for Senate, is facing a challenge from a conservative, Mark Rubio, the former Florida House speaker. Mr. Crist has come under fire from conservatives for, among other things, supporting Mr. Obama on his economic stimulus package.
Mr. Cornyn said that he did not see other situations where Republicans could face a similarly divisive primary. He said that he expected Mr. Crist to win the nomination but that was confident either Mr. Crist or Mr. Rubio would win the seat that had been held by former Senator Mel Martinez of Florida, who stepped down.
Republican officials said that Ms. Scozzafava decided to drop out after reviewing private and public polls that convinced her that she was doing to come in third place. One Republican official said Ms. Scozzafava was concerned that she would be blamed as a spoiler if she stayed in the race and Mr. Owens won. National Republican leaders, increasingly worried about a Democratic win in the district, did nothing to try to dissuade her.
