Posted on 10/05/2010 8:01:22 AM PDT by randita
Earlier this morning Doug Hoffman announced he was dropping out of the race and is supporting my candidacy for Congress to take back the 23rd. I am deeply appreciative of Doug’s support. Now, more than ever, Republicans, Conservatives and independents are united in our efforts to defeat Bill Owens in November. Thank you for all your support. Please read a copy of the article that appeared in this morning’s Adirondack Daily Enterprise.
Hoffman out of Congress race
SARANAC LAKE — Doug Hoffman has dropped out of the race to represent New York’s 23rd Congressional District. Hoffman’s name will still appear on the ballot on the Conservative line; however, Hoffman said Tuesday morning that he wants his supporters to vote for Republican Matt Doheny. “Our nation is at a crossroads, and it is imperative that on Election Day we wrest control of Congress from Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat majority,” Hoffman said in a prepared statement. “It was never my intention to split the Republican vote.” Hoffman, a certified public accountant and businessman who lives in Saranac Lake, ran against Doheny in a Republican primary. When Doheny’s win became official almost two weeks ago after the absentee ballots were tallied, Hoffman said he would stay in the race on the Conservative line to offer an alternative to “a Wall Street lawyer and a Nancy Pelosi puppet,” as Hoffman then described Doheny and incumbent Democrat Bill Owens, respectively. Hoffman accused both of them of being “not truthful with the voters,” citing Owens’ vote for the national health care bill and Doheny's support of abortion rights in the first trimester, despite describing himself as “pro-life.” Owens said during the 2009 campaign he wouldn’t vote for anything that would raise taxes on the middle class and small businesses, which Hoffman argued the national health care bill did. Now, Hoffman has decided to back Doheny. “Matt Doheny and I may have differed on some issues during the course of our primary race,” Hoffman said. “Now, we must put those differences aside and do what is best for our nation.” Hoffman spokesman Rob Ryan wouldn’t elaborate on the statement Tuesday morning. Sources close to the story have said repeatedly over the past month that Hoffman’s campaign didn’t have the financing or staff to be viable this year. His campaign offices in Plattsburgh and Watertown closed after the primary. His main office on Saranac Lake’s River Street has usually been closed since then, although there has been some activity visible over the past week. Hoffman ran on the Conservative line in last year’s special election against Owens and Republican Dede Scozzafava. The race garnered a lot of national money and media attention, and Hoffman won support from large national conservative groups such as the Club for Growth and Republican notables such as former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Scozzafava dropped out of the race the weekend before the election and endorsed Owens, who won by about 3,600 votes.
Sincerely,
Matt
Ping
Very good news.
Would have been nice if he had done this when his name could have been removed from the C line and given them a chance to endorse.
Good move by Hoffman.
Wow!! Someone that figured out life is not about him/her. He did the right thing by dropping out and giving a good candidate a chance.
Would have been more right if he’d done it earlier.
good news but might be too late
Hoffman did the correct thing.
Good but should have done it earlier
Hoffman was right to stay on last year. This year, he was completely wrong. The Republicans of NY-23 had spoken and Hoffman should have never considered this run after the primary. I’m glad he’s seen the light. Now he has to campaign hard for Doheny to make amends.
Is Hoffman the one who ran against Scazafava for this seat last year?
Good news bump!
I was following this since the primaries. According to news on the web, the GOP kingmakers didn’t like Hoffman making fools of them in 2009. Their boy Doheny won the primary. Hoffman went for the Conservative ticket again because Doheny was perceived as loyal to the same bunch of geniuses that backed ScuzzaI’maffaker. But as it turned out, after the primaries Hoffman was considered a sore loser going third party. More than that, he lacked the national attention (and funds from that attention) that Rush, Levin, and others gave him on his first go round, as one of the original salvos in the tea party movement.
I could be wrong but that’s how I was reading the articles.
With one month, it is great timing. That will give the supporters to flock to the GOP. Had he done this at the last week, then timing would have been a liability since some voters would not have heard about Hoffman dropping out and endorsing the GOP.
Hoffman was one of the first, if not the first, salvo in the tea party’s move to oust RINOs from the GOP.
Someone on his campign staff probably whispered this in his ear:
“Hey, have you seen anying about Scozzafava’s rising political star in the news for the last two years?”
Well, one year...
Good news. Now, if we could just get Maes to drop out and endorse Tancredo, we’d have both of the splitter races taken care of.
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