Scozzafava in trouble

The NY GOP has some serious explaining to do with regard to Dede Scozzafava. We know that NY is a blue state, and that the GOP there is willing to "bend the criteria" for a candidate, but Scozzafava is really no different than the Democrat in the race, save her rating from the NRA. Whoopty-doo. As a gun owner, that makes me happen, but it's only one issue. The biggest problem that Scozzafava has is her pro-choice beliefs. But it was revealed this past week that she's not just a pro-choice proponent, but a Margaret Sanger award winner to boot. Paging Mr. Gingrich, some people are outside your door with torches and pitchforks. Gingrich wholeheartedly endorsed Scozzafava, and all under the auspice that if we don't appeal to moderates, we'd be a minority party.

That ain't how it works. Reagan never directly appealed to moderates. He told people "this is what I believe, and if you believe in these things like I do, I'll welcome you on board." But Reagan NEVER wavered on his guiding principles, and conservative bona-fides. Methinks Mr. Gingrich doth protest too much, and I'm beginning to question his credentials (or at the very least, his sanity.)

But in the NY-23 race, that's not the only news. The Club for Growth has released a poll showing a significant change in the race, at least for Doug Hoffman:

A poll released today by the Club for Growth shows Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman surging into the lead in the special election in New York's 23rd congressional district to replace John McHugh, the former congressman who recently became Secretary of the Army.

The poll of 300 likely voters, conducted October 24-25, 2009, shows Conservative Doug Hoffman at 31.3%, Democrat Bill Owens at 27.0%, Republican Dede Scozzafava at 19.7%, and 22% undecided. The poll's margin of error is +/- 5.66%. No information was provided about any of the candidates prior to the ballot question.

This is the third poll done for the Club for Growth in the NY-23 special election, and Doug Hoffman is the only candidate to show an increase in his support levels in each successive poll. The momentum in the race is clearly with Hoffman.

"Hoffman now has a wide lead among both Republicans and Independents, while Owens has a wide lead among Democrats. Dede Scozzafava's support continues to collapse, making this essentially a two-candidate race between Hoffman and Owens in the final week," concluded Basswood Research's pollster Jon Lerner, who conducted the poll for the Club.

The GOP is in deep trouble. They've put up a candidate who has a questionable background (including ties to ACORN through the WFP in NY), and she seems to have a severe problem with her PR ideas. Is there any wonder why Republicans are walking away from their party? It's clear that they're not listening to the people who support them, and those people have moved on to mount insurgent campaigns where they're dissatisfied with the choices the party makes for them. We really wish the GOP had taken Hoffman over the disastrous Scozzafava, but they didn't, so we're supporting Doug Hoffman. It's the first time we've ever supported a third-party candidate (they're not worth it, most of the time, because they don't have a good chance of winning).

Don't get us wrong. We still firmly believe the GOP will retake one House of Congress in 2010 (likely the House), and start acting like a check against the unprecedented actions of a radical president and his crony Democrat minions in the Congress. That said, while that might be a bright spot for us next year, the GOP still has some significant problems. And as things get worse for Republicans in years to come, I'm sure that this won't be the last time we support a third-party candidate.

Publius II