Friday, October 16, 2009

Could one non-answer lead to a 3rd party candidate being elected?

Could one non-answer lead to a 3rd party candidate being elected? John McCormack writes on WeeklyStandard.com that there is a possibility the Republican nominee for the New York 23rd Congressional District special election, Dede Scozzafava, could ditch the Republican party.

McCormack asked Scozzafava’s spokesman via e-mail if Scozzafava would commit to running in a Republican primary in 2010. The non-answer could chase Scozzafava waning support away. Accoring to McCormack, the spokesman answered, "Dede is focused on the election that is Nov. 3."

By not saying yes to that question, Scozzafava pretty much just said no or we’ll see. Scozzafava’s spokesman did hedge saying that they would not make any comments about the future and said Scozzafava currently "is a vote for Rep. Boehner" to be speaker of the House. Scozzafava's spokesperson later realized he stepped in it after that comment. He contacted McCormack to say Scozzafava would run in the Republican primary in 2010 if challenged. The spokesman still would not comment if Scozzafava would run as an independent if she lost the primary.

These questions of party loyalty could crush Scozzafava. Currently Scozzafava is holding onto second for dear-life in the special election. That second place standing is only because of her winning 40% of the Republican votes, according to a recent poll from Siena College.

If Scozzafava looses a number of these voters to Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, she is finished in this race. Hoffman jumped into the race after Scozzafava was nominated by Republican party bosses. Many Republicans are supporting Hoffman because of Scozzafava's liberal-leaning voting record and beliefs.

All of the candidates in this race are currently about 10% apart.

If Scozzafava is finished in this race, could she be finished in the GOP?

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