The Democrats are quick to spin today’s big news in NY-23 — that moderate Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava has dropped out, and the party has now endorsed insurgent Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman — as a sign of the GOP becoming more and more extreme.
DCCC spokesman Ryan Rudominer gives us this statement: “The Republican Party’s extreme right wing ideologues sent a chilling message to the few remaining moderate Republican Members and candidates: moderates are not welcome in the Republican Party and differing opinions will not be tolerated.”
Rudominer also says the GOP has bungled this race: “The NRCC mishandled the race from day 1. The NRCC spent nearly $1 million (which is a quarter of their current cash on hand) on a race where they didn’t understand the district or how the NY State party line ballot worked, they actively criticized the Conservative Party candidate, and they couldn’t lock in the endorsements of Republican Party leaders.”