Posted on 08/26/2005 9:13:50 AM PDT by jmaroneps37
GOP hopeful John Spencer readies ad claiming party rival Jeanine Pirro is too liberal in race to challenge Hillary Rodham Clinton
ALBANY -- With more than a year until the 2006 U.S. Senate race, one Republican seeking to challenge Democratic incumbent Hillary Rodham Clinton is already gearing up to hit the airwaves. Advertisement
Former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer's campaign Thursday released copies of a television ad attacking Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the state GOP leadership's favored U.S. Senate candidate, for being too liberal.
The ad, which Spencer's camp said will start airing statewide on cable stations Monday, points out that Pirro -- like Clinton -- is pro-choice and supports gun control and gay rights.
"She's not running to beat Hillary Clinton," the ad declares of Pirro. "She's running to be Hillary Clinton. There's only one conservative in the race: John Spencer."
Spencer and attorney Ed Cox, who is also seeking the GOP line to run against Clinton, have said Pirro is too liberal to rally the Republican Party's base or land the state Conservative Party's endorsement, without which no Republican statewide candidate has won since 1974.
Pirro adviser Michael McKeon responded: "Jeanine's support is wide and deep. She remains focused on defeating Hillary Clinton in November 2006."
Spencer's ad is scheduled to run for a week, according to his campaign spokesman, Christian Winthrop. He posted it on his Web site -- http://www.joinspencer.com -- which also includes a button where supporters can "sponsor" the ad with a contribution.
"Right now, it's a fund-raising tool and name recognition tool that we're certain will pay for itself," Winthrop said.
Winthrop wouldn't say how much the Spencer campaign -- which reported having $1,375 on hand at the end of June -- paid for air time.
Also Thursday, a fourth GOP county chair announced he is backing Cox over Pirro. In a statement dispensed by the Cox campaign, Washington County Republican Chairman John Aspland said: "Pirro is not going to be an upstate person. She hasn't indicated to me that she is going to be a viable candidate for the rural areas of New York."
Earlier this week, the Republican chairmen from Wayne, Livingston and Warren counties backed Cox, too.
Both Cox and Pirro were in Onondaga County Thursday and scheduled to attend the Onondaga County GOP's annual clam bake. Pirro also attended the State Fair, where she hit the all-important sausage booth and participated in a news conference unveiling a new high-security driver's license design with Gov. George Pataki. The governor included a statement from Pirro on his news release.
Pirro, whom state GOP Chairman Stephen Minarik has called the "best candidate," also received endorsements from state Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, and Onondaga County Executive Nicholas Pirro, to whom she is not related. Onondaga County Chairman Bob Smith, who hosted the clam bake, has not endorsed Pirro.
Exactly the problem. The State GOP doesn't have a clue...They always support those of the Bloomberg, Pataki, Pirro cut. The definition of "RINO"!!!
And don't forget Pierre Rinfret!
Nobody ever lost a political race in New York by being "too liberal". There are, of course, different DEGREES of liberal, but "looney liberal" is not the same as "very liberal". If there is any amount of reason and logic that is defensible in debate, even a very liberal (but rational) candidate will beat out a looney liberal. And in New York, liberal only loses to conservative if there is a three-way race, with the liberal majority divided.
In New York State, there is NO such thing as a CONservative.
The Conservative Party has ruined more elections by Splitting the Vote three 3 ways.
Pirro is the best you can get !!
Supporting pro-abortion gun-grabbing gay marriage liberals!
Obviously, you don't understand NY state. Every politician in there is pro-gun control and pro-abortion. The best you can do is to support the RINO because he'll vote with you at least 60% of the time and you can persuade him/her to vote with you on the other 40% You're not going to get anywhere with the corrupt Dem, that's for sure.
The reason they support RINOs is because there are not enough conservatives in NY to elect conservative candidates. You're blaming the party when the problem is the voters are liberal.
Really? So Spencer and Cox .... no they aren't.
Huh, I guess you just blatantly lied. Good thing I'm here to call you on it :)
So why are you pimping for Pirro? Because she trails in the polls by 24 points? That's a good reason to support a liberal.
I agree. Pirro recently pledged to run a "positive" campaign. If facing some opposition in the primaries causes her to get a spinal transplant so she decides to run an honest and accruate campaign against the Witch, we'd all be better off.
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