Republican Dede Scozzafava endorses Democrat Bill Owens

Republican Dede Scozzafava urges friends to vote for Democrat Bill Owens after exiting NY-23 House race
By Mike McAndrew / The Post-Standard
November 01, 2009, 3:07PM
John Berry / The Post-StandardRepublican Dede Scozzafava, who suspended her campaign for the 23rd Congressional District on Saturday, urged her supporters today in a private e-mail to vote for Democrat Bill Owens instead of Conservative Doug Hoffman.Canton, NY - One day after suspending her campaign, Republican Dede Scozzafava urged her supporters this afternoon in a private e-mail to vote for Democrat Bill Owens instead of Conservative Doug Hoffman for the 23rd Congressional District seat.
"...I am writing to let you know I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same," Scozzafava wrote. "It’s not in the cards for me to be your representative, but I strongly believe Bill is the only candidate who can build upon John McHugh's lasting legacy in the U.S. Congress."
"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," she wrote.
Contacted in Canton, where she and her husband were meeting with Owens, Scozzafava confirmed the e-mail was authentic.
"For me, my whole participation in the race has been about what I feel is best for the district. It hasn’t been about the battles other people want to make this race about. It’s about the issues right here in the 23rd district," she said. "To me it came down to the person I thought would best represent this area. Not Washington. Here."
Scozzafava's decision was welcomed by Owens and blasted by Hoffman's campaign and Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long.
“This afternoon Dede Scozzafava betrayed the GOP," said Hoffman spokesman Rob Ryan said in a statement issued by the campaign. "She endorsed a Pelosi Democrat who will spend more, tax more, and push the liberal agenda that is dragging down this nation. Doug Hoffman represents the revolution that is taking place against high taxes."
“I am honored to have Assemblywoman Scozzafava’s endorsement," John Berry / The Post-StandardDemocrat congressional candidate Bill OwensDennis Nett / The Post-StandardConservative congressional candidate Doug HoffmanOwens said in a prepared statement. "Over the course of her career, Dede has always committed to serving the people of Upstate New York before serving a partisan agenda. I have a tremendous amount of respect for what she's accomplished. We share a commitment to finding common sense solutions to address the challenges we’re facing here in Upstate New York."
Long said Scozzafava's move "is really no surprise. We always said Assemblywoman Scozzafava and Bill Owens were a pair of liberals. Doug Hoffman remains the only alternative to giving Nancy Pelosi another vote for her liberal agenda in Congress.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee responded to Scozzafava's note by urging voters to support Hoffman.
“The candidate best positioned and suited to protect Fort Drum and continue the legacy of John McHugh is Doug Hoffman, and the pledge from Republican leadership to secure support for him on the House Armed Services Committee affirms that," said Ken Spain, NRCC communications director. "...Only Doug Hoffman is willing to stand up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and put the brakes on her agenda of massive government takeovers and less jobs.”
Earlier Sunday, the Jefferson County Republican Party announced it would back Hoffman in Tuesday's election.
Matt Burns, who was Scozzafava's campaign spokesman until she suspended her campaign, said he thought Scozzafava was making a mistake in supporting Owens.
"Dede is entitled to her own opinion, as is everyone, but I obviously disagree with her decision. I am supporting Doug Hoffman, because denying Nancy Pelosi another foot soldier is vital to restoring fiscal responsibility and common sense in Washington," Burns said in an e-mail.
A number of prominent Democrats and White House officials reached out to Scozzafava in the past 24 hours, asking her to endorse Owens.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., had several phone conversations with Scozzafava, an aide confirmed Sunday. Schumer also asked White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to help lobby Scozzafava for her support.
Scozzafava said that she did not know if Republican Party leaders - many of whom are now endorsing Hoffman - will hold her support for Owens against her. Scozzafava said that she sent the email from her private computer, not through her campaign. She said she did not know how many people received her e-mail. She said she does not plan to appear at Owens' campaign events.
Scozzafava said that the tone of Hoffman's campaign ads attacking her record bothered her, but said that Hoffman's pledge to try to eliminate federal earmarks bothered her more. She said Fort Drum and the surrounding communities benefited from earmarks that Rep. McHugh secured.
"I have to say, the tone of his campaign bothers me. But that’s campaigns. That’s the way elections go. I think they were filled with lots of misinformation and lies. But the tone was one that encouraged people to be divisive instead of uniting the best things we have. The tone of his campaign did bother me,“ she said.