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
Very well-put, this is very good news. I’m glad that Hoffman came to his senses.
Well, no, the problem here is that you are coming to some illogical conclusions because you are starting from an incorrect premise.
You seem to be basing your argument on the belief that Hoffman's involvement in the 2010 race was the same, and for the same reasons, as his run in 2009. In both cases, you seem to believe, Hoffman was the superhero conservative underdog valiantly struggling to overturn the left-wing establishment out-of-touch Party insider's handpicked candidate.
That was indeed the case in 2009, which is why I fully supported Hoffman's run last year, to the point of sending the man money.
But this wasn't the case this year. This year, they actually had a primary - and Hoffman lost. In other words, Doheny was the GOP candidate, not because a closed-door backroom session of insiders selected him for the job, but because the Republican voters of the district decided they liked him better than Hoffman. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant - the GOP voters in the district get to decide, not you.
So, instead of accepting the verdict of the voters from the get go, and telling the Conservative Party that he wasn't going to split the vote when both candidates are conservatives, he continued to run on a third party ticket, predictably splitting the vote. Now, even though he finally did the right thing and dropped out, he has still damaged the chances of getting a conservative into that seat because now there'll be confusion, his name will still be on the ballot, there'll be folks in the district with hard feelings so they won't come out to vote, etc. etc. ad nauseum.
All because he decided to not accept the verdict of his own primary voters....just like Lisa Murkowski. At least the difference is, Doug Hoffman realised the damage he was doing, and honourably bowed out. Murkowski, on the other hand, WANTS to do as much damage as she can.
The problem here is that you are coming to some illogical conclusions because you are starting from an incorrect premise.
“.. “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 is right. Wish he won the primary, but he’s doing the right thing.
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>Wow!! Someone that figured out life is not about him/her.
Which makes me like him even more. Too bad.
Scozzafava may have been a Republican but she was no conservative. How is it principled to abandon all principle to retain a seat? You only become the enemy.
Other than it being the Conservative Party, as you corrected, you're right on the money.
Hoffman shows himself to be a stand-up guy. I wish him the best in the future. Maybe he’ll run again some day for something and people will get behind him. He needs to get a little more spark and energy to his presentation, just based on what little I’ve seen of him. I hope he does that and succeeds in the future if that’s what he wants.
I haven’t been paying much attention to this race except I knew Hoffman and someone else were running against the rat, and I’m not in NY. Anybody know anything about Doheny?
Gotta love this arcane election law. I hope Hoffman’s supporters do as he asks. Good for him, I’m pleasantly surprised.
Lazio has a snowballs chance to hell to win in the Bronx especially given that he won’t actually even be trying to win but would that ever be funny.
Lazio doesn’t want to be a judge, and knows he won’t win a judicial election in the Bronx, which is why he was nominated there and not in, say, the Southern Tier (where the R label is a feature, not a bug). If he someone won the election, he would resign before taking office.
earlier would have been better but this is still good
old tuffle, why don’t you go campaign hard for Doheny or anyone? You want Hoffman to campaign hard for Doheny the same way Doheny campaigned for Owens in November? Is that it?
I never ask my primary opponents to “make amends” after they are defeated. They are apt to tell me to go screw.
no. Hoffman is the fairy godmother who has a day job as an accountant.
sorry CIN. When politicians like Doheny do not endorse guys like Hoffman vs. Owens last NOV after Dede dropped out .... now Doheny is in a position to dictate when and how Hoffman is to endorse him?
Now it is time for the County Chairs and committee members to get off the easy chair and see if they really are interested in defeating Owens. (Don’t hold your breath.)
Last November vs. Owens ... why did Doheny not support Hoffman over Owens after Dede dropped out? Maybe he was out of town?
“I thought that Doheny wanted the same thing that all of us want. A legislature that stops the leftward tilt toward socialism and ruin for everyone. If he was, then he would support the candidate that best represents that idea. Doheny has a constituency in his district that could be persuaded to vote for less spending, less federal government and the rule of law. I guess I was wrong. I guess what you are saying is that he was in it for himself all along.”
I can’t speak for last year. What I can speak to is this year and the importance of stopping the Obama leftward tilt of this country. If personal grudges are what drove Hoffman to try running as a third candidate, then drop out and not campaign for Doheny, then he must not be keeping what is important before him. I’ve read that Doheny is conservative. It’s one thing to not support a super RINO like Scozzafava. I and most people on this site supported him last year in that endeavor. However, if the country is what’s important and not his personal feelings and ambitions, then he should do the right thing and do everything in his power to get the conservative elected over an automatic vote for Nancy Pelosi. His choice...
Doheny is the candidate. So if you’re a Doheny supporter, it is your responsibility to build his coalition and win the election. If I were you, I’d get to work on it.
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