Losing It Over Scozzafava
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National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep.
Pete Sessions (R-Texas) lashed out at
conservative Republican colleagues during a meeting on Capitol
Hill Wednesday when asked why the NRCC chose to back liberal,
ACORN supported candidate Dede
Scozzafava, in the upcoming special election to
succeed Rep. John McHugh in New
York’s 23rd Congressional District
Sessions was called out by conservative members of the caucus,
and challenged when asked why NRCC resources – cash and
personnel — were being used for Scozzafava. “We have a
conservative running in this race, and the Republican Party
is not with him,” says a conservative House member who
attended the meeting. “There are a number of us who are
profoundly embarrassed by this race, and while we don’t blame
Pete, we do blame the NRCC staff for apparently not doing its
job.”
Sessions, according to sources, angrily responded to the
criticism, though not directly defending Scozzafava. According to
NRCC staff, Scozzafava was viewed as the “most cooperative”
candidate of a group put forward by local Republican Party bosses
in the 23rd District. “She wasn’t going to be a loose cannon and
the money was happy with her,” says one NRCC source, saying that
“money” referred to a pool of high-dollar donors with ties to
former New York Governor George Pataki.
“Ideally, we wanted someone who could self-finance, but we didn’t
have anyone like that,” says the NRCC source. “Then we went with
someone who would have a natural pool of donors; [Scozzafava] met
that criteria.”
Scozzafava’s candidacy is getting so much attention because a
conservative Republican, Doug Hoffman, is
now challenging her, running as the New York Conservative Party
candidate in the race. Hoffman was rejected by the Republican
Party of New York, which chose not to contact Conservative Party
leader Michael Long for input on
the pick. Such input is usually sought, to ensure that the
Republican candidate will also be able to run on the Conservative
Party line on the ballot.
Hoffman has already been endorsed by the Club for Growth,
Gary Bauer, and former Sen.
Fred Thompson. According to sources in
Washington, a number of conservatives have been pressuring former
House Speaker Newt Gingrich to step
up and support Hoffman, both financially and with an appearance,
but that Gingrich has thus far rejected those requests without an
explanation. David Keene, head of
the American Conservative Union was said to be calling around to
various conservative organizations, encouraging them to support
Hoffman and not support the NRCC in further efforts.
In New York, meanwhile, aides close to Hoffman said they were
poised to make several announcements in the coming days that
“will change the dynamics of the race,” according to one aide.
“We have conservatives across the country who really believe we
can win this with the right team in place and the right kind of
support, and we believe that it’s all coming together.”
Regardless of the outcome of the race, it appears that looking to
2010, Rep. Pete Sessions will be examining the staff of the NRCC
and making changes to ensure that a Scozzafava doesn’t happen
again.
According to Republican National Committee sources, a poll on the
23rd District race paid for by the NRCC and due to be released on
Monday has been withheld due to a poor showing by the Republican
candidate. An NRCC denied that the poll was being held back, but
was being reviewed for “margin of error issues.”
