Republicans

Top 10 Wild And Wacky Political Voices -- For Whom We're All Very Thankful

Eric Kleefeld | November 25, 2009, 6:04PM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Rush Limbaugh

Here at TPM, we definitely have an eye for the weird -- and speaking for myself, I particularly enjoy the crazy stuff that right-wingers often say.

The American right often uses the rhetoric of a persecuted minority, even when they're actually in power. So having a Democrat in the White House, let alone a progressive black Democrat from Chicago named Barack Hussein Obama, has driven them to whole new heights (or lows, depending on how you count it) of rhetoric.

So let's take a look at some real stars of our current political rhetorical wars. The list is mostly Republican -- and you betchya that it was an obvious choice for the top spot -- plus one Democratic "Congressman With Guts" who gives the opposition a taste of their own medicine. We've got politicians, talk show hosts, and people who seem to be both at the same time. So sit back, and enjoy the crazy.

I'm certainly thankful to them -- for making my job a lot more interesting. If they weren't around, what would there be for me to write about?

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NY-23

Hoffman Concedes NY-23 To Owens (Again)

Eric Kleefeld | November 24, 2009, 3:40PM

Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

Doug Hoffman, the unsuccessful Conservative Party candidate in the recent NY-23 special election, has now conceded the race to Democrat Bill Owens -- for a second time.

Owens was sworn in two and a half weeks ago, after Hoffman had conceded the election. The correction of routine clerical errors, however, narrowed Owens' margin from 5,000 votes to about 3,000, leading Hoffman to take back his concession. He furthermore accused ACORN of stealing the election.

In his new statement, Hoffman acknowledges that Owens did indeed win. Hoffman wishes the Democrat well, thanks his own supporters, and also calls upon the election officials to avoid mistakes in the future:

"Yesterday, the remaining ballots were counted in the 23rd Congressional District special election. The results re-affirm the fact that Bill Owens won.

Since, the morning of November 4th, many of my supporters have asked me to challenge the outcome of this race. Their concerns centered on the veracity of the new voting machines used, for the first time, in the majority of the eleven counties that make up the Congressional District. Over the past three weeks, we nearly cut Bill Owens' lead in half. Sadly, that is not enough.

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NY-23

Report: Hoffman Won't Seek Recount In NY-23

Eric Kleefeld | November 24, 2009, 11:33AM

Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

Doug Hoffman, the unsuccessful Conservative Party candidate in the recent NY-23 special election, will reportedly not ask for a recount in the race, says News 10 Now.

I called Hoffman spokesman Rob Ryan, asking for confirmation or other comment, and he said simply that a statement will be released later today.

The latest results, with 628 absentee ballots left to be counted, have Democrat Bill Owens beating Hoffman by 48.3%-46.0%, with a raw-vote margin of 3,397 votes.

Owens was sworn in two and a half weeks ago, after Hoffman had conceded the election. The correction of routine clerical errors, however, narrowed Owens' margin from 5,000 votes to about 3,000, leading Hoffman to take back his concession. Wednesday night, Hoffman charged that the election was stolen: "ACORN, the unions and Democratic Party were scared, and that's why they tampered with the ballots of voters in NY-23."

Bill Owens

Owens Winning The Absentee Ballots In NY-23

Eric Kleefeld | November 20, 2009, 5:03PM

Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

The absentee ballot count is nearly completed in the NY-23 special election, with the new Democratic Rep. Bill Owens on track to gain votes in the process.

With only 813 ballots left to be counted, the Watertown Daily Times has Owens ahead by 3,398 votes over Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman, with an Owens lead of 253 votes within the absentees themselves.

The early absentee figures had given a mistaken impression of Hoffman gaining, because they had come mainly from counties that Hoffman carried on election day. The remaining ballots are more than not from pro-Owens counties, so he could potentially expand his lead a little bit further.

Owens was sworn in two weeks ago, after Hoffman had conceded the election. The correction of routine clerical errors, however, narrowed Owens' margin from 5,000 votes to about 3,000, leading Hoffman to take back his concession. Wednesday night, Hoffman charged that the election was stolen: "ACORN, the unions and Democratic Party were scared, and that's why they tampered with the ballots of voters in NY-23."

NY-23

Owens Leads Hoffman By Insurmountable Margin -- A Greater Lead Than Outstanding Ballots

Eric Kleefeld | November 19, 2009, 5:38PM

Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

The latest absentee ballot totals from the NY-23 special election show Democratic Rep. Bill Owens leading his Conservative Party opponent Doug Hoffman -- with a greater margin than there are absentee ballots left to be counted.

The Watertown Daily Times reports that Owens leads by 3,105 votes, with 3,072 ballots left to count. It is mathematically impossible for Hoffman to win.

Owens was sworn in two weeks ago, after Hoffman had conceded the election. The correction of routine clerical errors, however, narrowed Owens' margin from 5,000 votes to about 3,000, leading Hoffman to take back his concession.

Last night, Hoffman charged that the election was stolen: "ACORN, the unions and Democratic Party were scared, and that's why they tampered with the ballots of voters in NY-23."

Late Update: Hoffman spokesman Rob Ryan declined to comment specifically on these numbers, as he had not yet seen them in the figures that he gets from the county boards of elections. "We have found certain irregularities," said Ryan. "And when the count is completed, and we take a look -- and we have until Monday to decide whether to file those objections -- we are going to make a decision between now and then on whether and how to proceed."

NY-23

Republican Election Official, GOP County Chairman Dismiss Hoffman's Accusations Of ACORN Conspiracy

Eric Kleefeld | November 19, 2009, 11:24AM

Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

The accusations by NY-23 Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman that ACORN stole the election for Democrat Bill Owens, by allegedly tampering with the ballots and with the reported results, is now getting some push-back -- from a local Republican election official, and even a local GOP chairman, who aren't buying into the ACORN conspiracy talk.

The Watertown Daily Times reports:

Jerry O. Eaton, Jefferson County Republican elections commissioner, called Mr. Hoffman's assertion "absolutely false."

"No one has touched those ballots or has access to those ballots except Board of Elections staff -- and in a bipartisan manner," he said.

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NY-23

Doug Hoffman: ACORN Has Stolen NY-23 Election!

Eric Kleefeld | November 19, 2009, 10:34AM

Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate in the NY-23 election, is going further in revoking his election-night concession to Democrat Bill Owens -- who was sworn into office a few days later -- and alleging that ACORN has attempted to steal the election!

In a new letter to his supporters, Hoffman boasts of how the margin in the race has narrowed as the counties have corrected clerical errors in the totals -- which happen routinely in every election, as local officials have said -- and absentee ballots are counted. Hoffman says the situation is an obvious ACORN conspiracy:

I'm sure you are as dismayed as I am to learn of the mischief that took place in Oswego and neighboring counties. We know this would not be the first time for the ACORN faithful to tamper with democracy.

...

Oswego County elections officials blame the mistakes on "chaos" in their call-in center that included a phone system foul-up, and on inspectors who read numbers incorrectly when phoning in results. This sounds like a tactic right from the ACORN playbook.

As of yesterday evening's totals, Hoffman trailed by 2,832 votes, with 4,262 absentees left to be counted. It looks like no matter what the final result is, Hoffman and his allies will charge that this election was stolen by the ACORN bogeyman.

The full letter is available after the jump. It makes for interesting reading.

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NY-23

Owens Leads Hoffman By 2,832 Votes, With Only 4,262 Absentee Ballots Left

Eric Kleefeld | November 18, 2009, 5:02PM

Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

The latest absentee ballot totals show Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) holding on to his lead over Conservative Party opponent Doug Hoffman in the recent special election, the Watertown Daily Times reports.

With about 40% of the total absentee ballots counted, Owens leads by 2,832 votes, with only 4,262 absentees left to be opened up by the various counties. If Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava were to keep up her current percentage of 21% the absentees -- she dropped out of the race the weekend before the election, after most absentees had been mailed in -- then Hoffman would need to win 3,099 out of the remaining pile.

Hoffman conceded on election night, when he was apparently down by 5,000 votes, and Owens was sworn in that Friday. However, corrections of clerical errors revealed that Owens had only won the election day total by about 3,000 votes -- and Hoffman recently said he would take back his concession if it were possible.

The absentee count shows that Hoffman is making some minor headway with these votes, but the likelihood of him actually catching Owens is shrinking by the day -- and it was quite small to begin with.

Late Update: "I'm never gonna rule out a win, but as I've said from the start, there's a very small shot," Hoffman spokesman Rob Ryan just told us. "And we will see, we'll make a decision as we get near the end of the week, how to proceed."

NY-23

NY-23 Update: Owens Maintains Lead, As Absentees Begin To Be Counted

Eric Kleefeld | November 17, 2009, 6:09PM

Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

Here's a quick update on the NY-23 special election, in which Democrat Bill Owens defeated Conservative Doug Hoffman, and was sworn into office after Hoffman conceded, only to have Hoffman recently un-concede after late results showed him narrowing Owens' lead from around 5,000 votes to 3,000.

According to the Watertown Daily Times, the most up-to-date totals with partial absentee-ballot counts have Owens still ahead by 2,940 votes, with 5,570 absentees yet to be counted. If this were strictly a two-way race, Hoffman would need to take over 75% of the absentees to win -- and this is not a two-way race, and Hoffman is highly unlikely to get the margin he would need.

Read more »

NY-23

Doug Hoffman: With '20-20 Hindsight' I Wouldn't Have Conceded

Eric Kleefeld | November 13, 2009, 6:25PM

Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate in the NY-23 election, appeared today on the Neil Cavuto show, where he kept the door open to challenging his narrow defeat by Democrat Bill Owens, who was sworn into office last week after Hoffman had conceded the race.

Hoffman said "I don't think we'll have an answer to this for at least a week or two," and thats when the totals are completed, "each candidate will still have another week to protest." He also said that with "20-20 hindsight," he would not have conceded on Election Night. Hoffman's concession allowed Owens to be sworn in quickly, even though the full vote-counting process was not completed -- and in this same interview, Hoffman attacked Speaker Nancy Pelosi for swearing in Owens.

Adjustments to the vote totals -- which came from a standard process of correcting human errors in election night spreadsheets -- showed Owens' lead shrinking from about 5,000 votes to 3,000, and spurring a a lot of talk in conservative media outlets about how Hoffman will be able to pull ahead from the several thousand absentee ballots yet to be counted. The math suggests that Hoffman is still highly unlikely to win, absent some other monumental error being discovered, because he would need to win the absentees by overwhelming margins.

NY-23

Owens' Margin Over Hoffman Narrows -- But His Win Does Not Appear In Serious Danger

Eric Kleefeld | November 12, 2009, 11:47AM

Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

Could Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate who conceded the NY-23 special election last week, still end up pulling ahead and ejecting the newly sworn-in Democratic Rep. Bill Owens from office? The answer is that it's mathematically possible, but simply not likely in real terms.

The Syracuse Post-Standard reported that Owens' lead over Hoffman had shrunk from about 5,000 votes, as it was on election night when Hoffman conceded, to only 3,000 votes. With up to 10,000 absentee ballots to be counted, this left the possibility of Hoffman pulling ahead. Hoffman spokesman Rob Ryan admitted to Dave Weigel that the odds of such an upset were not too good: "Even if the margin had been 3,000 votes on election night, we would have conceded. We just might have done it later."

The most up to date numbers from the Watertown Daily Times show the picture even bleaker for Hoffman than that. With only 5,400 absentees left to count, Owens' lead is holding steady at 3,176. "Are they going to change the result? I don't know, I wouldn't bet the mortgage payment on it," Rob Ryan just told me. "But since this has been such a bizarre race, who the hell knows?"

Read more »

Doug Hoffman

Doug Hoffman To Speak At North Carolina Republican Dinner

Eric Kleefeld | November 5, 2009, 4:51PM

NY-23 Candidate Doug Hoffman (Conservative)

Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate and de facto last-minute Republican nominee who narrowly lost the NY-23 special election to Democrat Bill Owens this past Tuesday, isn't done yet with politics -- he's headed down South, to speak at a North Carolina Republican event.

As Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling (D) reports:

I've been pretty sure the Republicans will get back control of the North Carolina legislature next year but now I'm not underestimating their chances to defeat themselves.

Just got an e-mail from the party that they're bringing in Doug Hoffman to speak at their Hall of Fame dinner in a couple weeks. The same Doug Hoffman of course who managed to blow a Congressional seat the party had held for over a century.

NY-23

Minuteman PAC Blames Dede For Hoffman's Loss, Vows To Keep Fighting GOP Establishment

Eric Kleefeld | November 4, 2009, 3:17PM

NY-23 Candidates Dede Scozzafava (R) and Doug Hoffman (Conservative)

The Republican fratricide that cost the GOP the NY-23 special election is only going to keep on going, with the Minuteman PAC -- the anti-illegal immigration group that endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman -- vowing to keep up the fight in a new e-mail to their supporter list:

And, the vote totals revealed that reality late last night when it appeared that Bill Owen's margin of victory was the same percentage of votes cast for Scozzafava.

The moral of the story? Had Scozzafava not run, Hoffman would have easily won the election!!!

STOP MORE SCOZZAFAVA SPOILERS! HELP MINUTEMAN PAC RE-ARM FOR 2010!

...

After Minuteman PAC stepped into the race on behalf of Hoffman to expose Scozzafava and Owens' liberal records, Scozzafava was forced to abandon her campaign and her true colors were exposed to the entire country. . .

And Minuteman PAC will continue aiming at key races where brave patriot candidates have enlisted to unseat or defeat anti-American candidates! That's why we cannot sulk, we cannot rest, we must keep fighting. . .

The full e-mail is available after the jump.

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Sarah Palin

Palin: NY-23 Race Isn't Over, 'Just Postponed Until 2010'

Eric Kleefeld | November 4, 2009, 12:57PM

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), whose endorsement of Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the NY-23 special election helped to give him a huge boost against moderate Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava, posted this note last night on her Facebook account, commenting on Hoffman's defeat by Democrat Bill Owens:

The race for New York's 23rd District is not over, just postponed until 2010. The issues of this election have always centered on the economy - on the need for fiscal restraint, smaller government, and policies that encourage jobs. In 2010, these issues will be even more crucial to the electorate. I commend Doug Hoffman and all the other under-dog candidates who have the courage to put themselves out there and run against the odds.

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Health Care

Yesterday's Overwhelming Historic Republican Victory Makes Democratic Health Care Reform Just A Bit Easier

Brian Beutler | November 4, 2009, 10:04AM

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi (D-CA) and Congressman-elect Bill Owens (D)

Most of the commentary about last night's elections has centered around Republican pickups in the New Jersey and Virginia statehouses. But what's gone largely unnoticed is that the two congressional seats up for grabs last night both went to Democrats, and that will have immediate ramifications for health care reform.

The NY-23 seat abdicated by Republican John McHugh (who resigned to become Secretary of the Army) went to Democrat Bill Owens--the first Democrat to hold the seat in over a century. And the CA-10 seat abdicated by Democrat Ellen Tauscher (who resigned to become Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs) went to Democrat John Garamendi.

That creates some simple arithmetic. Yesterday, Democrats had 256 voting members in the House. By week's end, they'll have 258. Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could afford to lose no more than 38 Democratic votes on a landmark health care reform bill. Next week, after Owens and Garamendi are sworn in, she can lose up to 40. For legislation this historic and far-reaching, she'll need every vote she can get--and both seem likely to support reform.

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NY-23

Dem Owens Maintains Lead In NY-23 With 76% Precincts Reporting

Versha Sharma | November 3, 2009, 11:29PM

NY-23 Candidates Bill Owens (D) and Doug Hoffman (Conservative)

Democrat Bill Owens is leading by 4 points in the NY-23 congressional race with 76% of precincts reporting. Owens is currently at 49% over Conservative Doug Hoffman's 45%.

As we noted earlier, Owens could be the only Democrat win in today's elections.

NY-23

Voting Machine Breakdowns May Delay Results In NY-23

Rachel Slajda | November 3, 2009, 9:19PM

NY-23 Candidates Bill Owens (D) and Doug Hoffman (Conservative)

Voting machine malfunctions may delay election results from four towns in New York's 23rd district, reports the Johnson News Service.

The breakdowns, in Louisville, Waddington, Rossie and Clare, happened earlier today on new voting machines, according to the St. Lawrence County Board of Elections deputy commissioner.

And in Fulton County, results won't be posted online and likely won't be available to the media until tomorrow.

Read more »

NY-23

Report: 86 Percent Of Owens' Cash From Outside District

Rachel Slajda | November 3, 2009, 6:52PM

NY-23 candidate Bill Owens (D)

Yesterday, we showed you this report by The Washington Independent that a whopping 95 percent of Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman's cash came from outside the district. Today, the Independent crunched some more numbers and found that Democrat Bill Owens also got most of his cash from outside the district -- 86 percent of it.

Only $121,596 of Owens' total (as of Oct. 15) $843,441 came from the district. The biggest donor, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, contributed about 11 percent.

By contrast, $12,360 of the $265,341 Hoffman raised by that same date came from inside the district. His biggest donor was the conservative Club for Growth, which raised more than a third of that.

NY-23

Hoffman Camp, Right-Wing Bloggers Accuse Dems Of Slashing Supporter's Car -- Police Say He Drove Over Bottle

Eric Kleefeld | November 3, 2009, 6:07PM

Earlier today, the Hoffman campaign and conservative bloggers threw a fit over a very nefarious accusation: That somebody had slashed the tire of a Hoffman poll-watcher's pickup truck.

"Hoffman Poll Watcher Has Tires Slashed," blared Red State, with photos of the truck and its flat tire. And Hoffman himself chimed in.

"We just had a report that one of our pollsters in Clinton County just had their tires slashed," Hoffman said. "So I think the Democrats are doing everything they possibly can to steal this election away from the 23rd District."

However, the Wall Street Journal reports that the local police captain said there's another explanation: "This was not a tire slashing--this was some guy who drove over a bottle and cut his tire."

Amusingly, Red State updated their post as follows: "[updated:] Local police are not willing to confirm it was a tire slashing and say it could be that the poll watcher ran over a bottle."

FL-SEN

Is Charlie Crist The Next Moderate GOPer On Right-Wing Hit List?

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 3, 2009, 3:21PM

Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R)

No matter what the final outcome, the NY-23 race has changed the game for Republican primaries. Conservatives across the country are now in a search for the next Dede Scozzafava, the establishment GOP nominee Conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman was able to defeat by convincing rank-and-file Republicans to leave the candidate their party's leaders had chosen.

In Florida, Marco Rubio's campaign says conservatives have found their new Dede in Gov. Charlie Crist.

Read more »

NY-23

Scozzafava: No Republicans Bothered To Call Me After I Dropped Out

Eric Kleefeld | November 3, 2009, 1:43PM

Former NY-23 House candidate Dede Scozzafava (R)

Dede Scozzafava, the New York state Assemblywoman and former Republican candidate in the NY-23 special election, told the Syracuse Post-Standard about her experience in withdrawing from the race and endorsing Democrat Bill Owens -- and decried the national conservative activists who mobilized against her and in favor of Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.

Scozzafava said that she received calls from two key New York Democrats, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Steve Israel, who she says did not ask her for any endorsement but instead simply told her they were sorry for how she'd been treated by the GOP. As for the Republicans, Scozzafava said: "The one thing that wasn't occurring, as the Republicans in Washington were changing their allegiances, no one bothered to call me."

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NY-23

Report: Police Called To NY-23 Polling Sites...To Deal With Rowdy Hoffman-Backers

Eric Kleefeld | November 3, 2009, 1:30PM

NY-23 Candidate Doug Hoffman (Conservative)

We now have a report of on-the-ground mischief in NY-23, the sort of interference that Republicans have been warning about for today. The catch: Democrats are claiming that the mischief is coming from supporters of the Conservative candidate, Doug Hoffman.

The New York Daily News reports that police were called to polling sites in St. Lawrence County, a Democratic area in the district, to deal with some rowdy Hoffman-backers.

Former state Democratic chairwoman June O'Neill claimed that Hoffman-supporters are "yelling anti-choice stuff at voters" near the polls, that a woman involved said she was a "commissioner" -- and is allegedly from Texas -- and wouldn't leave the polling site. "This is not the way we roll in the North Country," O'Neill quipped.

The county's Republican election commissioner Debbie Pahler (each county in New York has two election commissioners, one Democrat and one Republican) confirmed to the paper that the police were called, but said that this was a routine matter of people electioneering within the 100-feet boundary around a polling site. "If people are electioneering within the marker and don't stop when we ask them to, our inspectors are instructed to call law enforcement to assist them. I don't think anybody was arrested."

NY-23

Owens: Limbaugh's Attack On Scozzafava 'Offends Me Personally' And 'Exemplifies Exactly What's Wrong With Hoffman'

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 6:16PM

NY-23 candidates Dede Scozzafava (R) and Bill Owens (D)

Democratic NY-23 candidate Bill Owens is jumping to the defense of Dede Scozzafava, his Republican former rival who dropped out of the race and endorsed him against Conservative Doug Hoffman, following an attack on her by Rush Limbaugh.

Limbaugh declared today that Scozzafava was "guilty of widespread bestiality. She has screwed every RINO in the country." Owens released this statement:

"This despicable attack on Assemblywoman Scozzafava offends me personally and exemplifies exactly what's wrong with Hoffman and his right wing backers. Assemblywoman Scozzafava is an honorable public servant who has served Upstate New York as an independent and principled leader who always prioritized the best interests of Upstate New York ahead of a partisan agenda. Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the right wing special interests that are running Hoffman's campaign can't even begin to compete with what she has accomplished over her career."

"Doug Hoffman and his supporters have sunk to a new low today. There is no excuse for this kind of shameful rhetoric and Doug Hoffman ought to denounce Limbaugh immediately."

NY-23

Report: 95 Percent Of Hoffman's Cash From Outside District

Rachel Slajda | November 2, 2009, 5:40PM

NY-23 Candidate Doug Hoffman (Conservative)

The Washington Independent reports today that 95 percent of Conservative NY-23 candidate Doug Hoffman's cash comes from donors outside the district he's trying to win.

Only $12,360 of the $265,341 Hoffman had raised as of Oct. 15 came from within his district, and only 22 of the 146 donors were from in-district. More than a third of the total money came from D.C.-based Club for Growth.

It's not surprising, given the fact that Hoffman doesn't live in the district and the fact that he doesn't have the strongest grasp on local issues. And the race has drawn the attention of national conservative figures such as Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck.

But 95 percent is a big big number.

NY-23

Boehner: 'Yes,' I Regret Giving Money To Dede Scozzafava

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 2, 2009, 4:46PM

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

The leader of Republicans in the House said today that he regrets backing his party's nominee in the NY-23 special election. At a press conference with reporters on health care this afternoon, House Minority Leader was asked if he regretted his past endorsement and financial support for Dede Scozzafava, the GOP nominee in the race who dropped out over the weekend and endorsed her Democratic rival.

"Yes," Boehner said, flatly.

"This lady clearly has an agenda that's different from that of the Republican Party," he added. "She was out there to promote herself."

Boehner said that like the rest of the GOP establishment, he's turned his allegiances to the Conservative Party candidate in the race, Doug Hoffman. Boehner said he "looks forward to welcoming" Hoffman into the GOP caucus and said he hopes Hoffman beats Democratic nominee Bill Owens tomorrow.

Read more »

NY-23

Scozzafava Records Robocall For Owens

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 3:11PM

NY-23 candidates Dede Scozzafava (R) and Bill Owens (D)

Dede Scozzafava, the moderate Republican who withdrew this weekend from the NY-23 special election, after a national right-wing campaign in favor of Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, has now taken another step in her surprise endorsement of Democrat Bill Owens: Taping a robocall for him.

"It's not in the cards for me to be your representative but I strongly believe Bill Owens is the only candidate who can build upon [former GOP Congressman, now Secretary of the Army] John McHugh's lasting legacy in Congress," Scozzafava says. "In Bill Owens I see a sense of duty and integrity. He will be an independent voice, devoted to doing what is right for New York. To address the tough challenges ahead we must rise above partisanship and politics, and work together."

Click To Play

Doug Hoffman

Hoffman Calls Glenn Beck His 'Mentor,' Will Keep In Touch

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 3:03PM

NY-23 Candidate Doug Hoffman (Conservative) and Glenn Beck

Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate in NY-23, appeared today on the Glenn Beck show -- and declared that Beck is a "mentor" of his, and that he'll stay in touch with Beck if he's elected:

HOFFMAN: I have good mentors here.

GLENN: Wait, wait. Wait, wait. Are they mentors that will show -

HOFFMAN: I'm talking about you, Glenn.

GLENN: Oh, okay. I was going to say all right, as long as they are standing out from the shadows. [...]

HOFFMAN: No. Yeah, well, I'm going to keep in touch with people like you so I don't get infected with that disease.

NY-23

Biden: Moderate Republican Voters Should Teach The GOP A Lesson, Vote Owens

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 2:26PM

NY-23 candidates Bill Owens (D) and VP Joe Biden

At his rally today with NY-23 Democratic candidate Bill Owens, Vice President Biden tapped into the emerging narrative that the this election represents the expulsion of moderates from the Republican Party -- and that moderate GOP voters should vote for Owens in order to teach the GOP a lesson.

"We aren't asking you to switch your party," said Biden. "We are just saying join us in teaching a lesson to those absolutists who say no dissent is permitted within your own party."

This comes after Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava was driven out of the race for being too moderate, by a national right-wing campaign in favor of Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman, and Scozzafava's subsequent withdrawal and endorsement of Owens.

NY-23

Gingrich 'Deeply Upset' That Scozzafava Endorsed Democrat After He'd Supported Her

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 11:07AM

Fmr. Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and NY-23 candidate Dede Scozzafava (R)

Newt Gingrich, who had previously endorsed moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava in the NY-23 special election, now says he is "deeply upset" about her endorsement of Democrat Bill Owens after she withdrew from the race.

"How could she have accepted all that support?" said Gingrich, also adding: "I'm very, very let down because she told everybody she was a Republican, and she said she was a loyal Republican."

Gingrich had caught a lot of criticism on the right for supporting Scozzafava, and arguing that the Republican Party needs to have room for moderates. Now that Scozzafava has quit the race and endorsed the Democrat, due to campaign by the right to push her out in favor of Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, Gingrich will certainly have to work hard to undo the damage from his having bet on the wrong horse.

NY-23

GOPer Scozzafava Appears At Dem Owens Campaign Event

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 10:34AM

NY-23 candidates Dede Scozzafava (R) and Bill Owens (D)

Dede Scozzafava, the former Republican candidate in the NY-23 special election who has now endorsed Democrat Bill Owens, made a surprise appearance at an Owens event last night.

The Watertown Daily Times reports:

On Sunday, at an Owens campaign event at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall on Gouverneur Street, Mr. Owens and Ms. Scozzafava talked politics during their meeting. She warned him to avoid the "hateful and divisive" tactics she said were used by her Conservative opponent.

"It's not about ideology," Ms. Scozzafava said. "It's about the local issues."

Read more »

NY-23

Poll: Hoffman Narrowly Ahead Of Owens, 41%-36%

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 9:32AM

NY-23 Candidates Doug Hoffman (Conservative) and Bill Owens (D)

The new Siena poll of the NY-23 race gives Conservative Doug Hoffman a lead over Democrat Bill Owens -- but only a narrow one.

The numbers: Hoffman 41%, Owens 36%, and Republican Dede Scozzafava -- who dropped out of the race and endorsed the Democrat Owens, but is still on the ballot -- at 6%, with a whopping 18% undecided. In the previous poll from two days ago, before the whole fiasco mentioned previously, Owens had 36%, Hoffman 35%, Scozzafava 20%, and only 9% were undecided.

This is in contrast to last night's Public Policy Polling (D) survey, which gave Hoffman a double-digit lead. When two reputable pollsters differ, the tie should probably go to the local one, Siena, in terms of which to put greater faith in -- but in any case we'll find out the truth tomorrow night, when people actually vote.

From the pollster's analysis: "With nearly one in five voters undecided the day before Election Day and voters still trying to comprehend the dramatic withdrawal of Scozzafava, and her subsequent endorsement of Owens, this is still a wide open race. The two candidates and campaigns are both in a sprint to try and convince these undecided voters to support them. Which ever campaign succeeds in convincing the undecided voters and then getting them to the polls tomorrow, will likely be looking at a victory tomorrow night."

NY-23

Poll: Hoffman Leads Owens In NY-23

Eric Kleefeld | November 1, 2009, 11:44PM

NY-23 Candidates Doug Hoffman (Conservative) and Bill Owens (D)

The new survey of the NY-23 special election from Public Policy Polling (D) finds Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman with a solid lead over Democrat Bill Owens, in a race that has seen a topsy-turvy weekend as moderate GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava dropped out and endorsed Owens.

The numbers: Hoffman 51%, Owens 34%, and Scozzafava (whose name remains on the ballot) 13%, with a ±2.3% margin of error. In a strict two-way matchup, Hoffman leads Owens by 54%-38%.

One caveat: Special elections are notoriously hard to poll -- especially a race as crazy as this one -- and this survey does have some inconsistencies from others. For example, only 39% of its likely voter pool approves of President Obama, with 52% disapproving. By contrast, the Siena poll gave Obama a favorable rating of 59%-37%. (True, "approval" and "favorable" are two different questions, but even then they shouldn't have answers that are this different.)

So which numbers should be believed? The simple answer is that we don't know. Either one of them could be right, or both could be wrong. We'll find out soon enough, on Tuesday night.

NY-23

In NY-23 Bombshell, Republican Scozzafava Endorses Democrat Owens

Eric Kleefeld | November 1, 2009, 2:57PM

NY-23 candidates Bill Owens (D), Dede Scozzafava (R), and Doug Hoffman (C)

In a huge development in the NY-23 special election, moderate Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava -- who dropped out of the race yesterday, in the face of bad fundraising and polling numbers that had shown she'd lost GOP support to Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman -- has now endorsed Democrat Bill Owens.

Scozzafava's campaign had been undermined by national right-wing activists who denounced her liberal social views -- she is pro-choice and pro-gay marriage -- and now she's doing what she can to prevent their own candidate Hoffman from winning:

You know me, and throughout my career, I have been always been an independent voice for the people I represent. I have stood for our honest principles, and a truthful discussion of the issues, even when it cost me personally and politically. Since beginning my campaign, I have told you that this election is not about me; it's about the people of this District.

It is in this spirit that I am writing to let you know I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same.

Scozzafava's name remains on the ballot as the Republican candidate, but she'll be voting for the Democrat Owens. Scozzafava's full statement is available after the jump.

Late Update: Scozzafava's former campaign spokesman Matt Burns gives us this comment, breaking with his former boss: "Dede is entitled to her own opinion, as is everyone, but I obviously disagree with her decision (to support Owens). I am supporting Doug Hoffman, because denying Nancy Pelosi another foot soldier is vital to restoring fiscal responsibility and common sense in Washington."

Late Late Update: We asked NRCC spokesman Ken Spain for comment, and he simply pointed us to this statement from earlier today, which was released in order to promise a seat on the House Armed Services Committee for Hoffman if he is elected: "There are only two candidates that remain in this race and voters are interested in two things. The candidate best positioned and suited to protect Fort Drum and continue the legacy of John McHugh is Doug Hoffman as the Republican leadership pledged to secure support for him on the House Armed Services Committee earlier today. Secondly, only Doug Hoffman is willing to stand up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and put the brakes on her agenda of massive government takeovers and less jobs."

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