Dede Scozzafava, the former GOP candidate in the special NY-23 congressional race who dropped out and endorsed her Democratic opponent after a parade of national Republicans abandoned Scozzafava in favor of a Conservative Party candidate (who lost to the Democrat), gave CNN her first national television interview since the election this morning. And she had some tough words for big-name Republicans, like Tim Pawlenty and Sarah Palin, who backed her conservative opponent.
“They had no understanding of who I was and no understanding really of the issues that drove the district,” Scozzafava said, adding that “for people to come out and be endorsing a candidate in a race in a place that they knew nothing about, I thought it was pretty disingenuous.”
Scozzafava also addressed the use of her name as a verb — which has shown up in the Urban Dictionary in the context of moderate purges. “When I heard that being used, I had to chuckle a little bit,” she said.
Scozzafava — who said she plans to remain a member of the Republican Party — said she thinks her party needs to ensure in the future that “independent voices are heard,” but also insisted that her “positions are very compatible” with her Republican predecessor.
The moderate Republican also addressed the robocalls that she said played a big role in the race.
Some of the ads were very vicious and some of the robocalls and some of the calls that were being placed, using language such as, “She’s a homo lover.” “She is a child killer.” And that language was coming from people who identify themselves with the Republican Party. and that was difficult.
Late Update: Here’s the video.
