The Republican County Chairs of New York say: "Doug Hoffman lacks the integrity and qualities needed to be elected to anything -- let alone Congress."
Eric Kleefeld:
Flashback: GOP Used To Badmouth Hoffman, Said He Had No Integrity: Now that the national Republican Party has gotten behind Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the NY-23 special election -- following the withdrawal of moderate GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava -- it's fun to remember that the Republicans didn't always feel so fondly about Hoffman.
As The Hill reported a month ago, NRCC spokesman Paul Lindsay said that Scozzafava was the right candidate, who was picked by the local party leaders and had an appeal to the district's voters.... "Fortunately, the local Republican county chairs had the foresight to see that Doug Hoffman lacked the integrity and qualities needed to be elected to anything -- let alone Congress."
And the ex-Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava joins her county chairs in opposing Doug Hoffman:
Republican Scozzafava Endorses Democrat After Exiting N.Y. Congressional Race: Republican Dede Scozzafava endorsed her former Democratic opponent Sunday in the race for an upstate New York congressional seat, shaking up the contest for the second day in a row after exiting the race Saturday.
Scozzafava dropped out after Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman experienced a late-in-the-game surge. The move was expected to consolidate GOP voters behind Hoffman on Tuesday. But on Sunday, Scozzafava backed Democrat Bill Owens -- the announcement was made in a statement sent out by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
"I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same," she said. "In Bill Owens, I see a sense of duty and integrity that will guide him beyond political partisanship. He will be an independent voice devoted to doing what is right for New York. Bill understands this district and its people, and when he represents us in Congress he will put our interests first."
