Posted on 04/14/2010 2:12:04 PM PDT by Maelstorm
In New York’s 23rd congressional district, it’s déjà vu all over again. Internecine fighting has broken out between candidates in the district’s Republican primary, and the race threatens to be a repeat of the divisive 2009 special election that saw a Democrat take a historically Republican district.
On Monday, the Oneida Republican county committee endorsed Matt Doheny, a businessman who lives in the district. This comes on the heels of three endorsements from other Republican county chairs.
Doug Hoffman, who failed to win the Republican nomination in 2009 but then ran on the Conservative Party ticket, has so far failed to receive any local endorsements. Yesterday, his campaign claimed that the Oneida endorsement was another case of backroom establishment deal-making, and that they were never invited to make their case before the Oneida Republican Committee. ‘Doheny uses Scozzafava insider tactics against Hoffman,’ screamed a story headline in the Gouverneur Times.
“They said that they didn’t invite us because we never sent them a letter telling them we were interested,” Rob Ryan, Hoffman’s spokesperson, told FrumForum. “As if the whole world doesn’t know that Doug Hoffman is running for Congress.”
Doheny’s campaign shot back that the endorsement was earned through smart campaign management. “He wasn’t invited to the meeting [on Monday]. Our campaign proactively asked the Oneida county Republican Committee when they were meeting, and Matt went to make his case,” said Doheny’s spokeswoman, Alison Power.
One of the key moments in the disastrous NY-23 special election was when the New York Conservative Party refused to endorse Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava. This, in effect, split the conservative vote between the Republican Party ticket and the Conservative Party ticket.
Once again, the Conservative Party has chosen to back Doug Hoffman. Mike Long, the chairman of the New York Conservative Party, denied that Matt Doheny is insufficiently conservative. But even so, Long says that his party’s endorsement will go to Hoffman.
“I feel that Doug Hoffman has earned the right to have the Conservative Party endorsement,” Michael Long told FrumForum. Asked if there was anything that Doheny could do to earn his party’s endorsement, Long said that “Matt Doheny is a fine young man, [but] there is nothing he can do to get our endorsement.”
With the district split once again between the endorsements of the Conservative Party and Republican county chairs, New York’s 23rd congressional district may very well see a replay of the special election which ultimately led to Democrat Bill Owens’ victory.
The Hoffman campaign has returned to flinging accusations at the Republican activists in the district. “I think that the Republican establishment has abandoned their conservative values,” Hoffman’s spokesperson said. “Doheny is with the same leadership who backed Scozzafava. They’re two peas in a pod … It’s clear that the Republican chairs are trying to deny the nomination to Doug Hoffman at all costs.”
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that [Doheny] is conservative enough,” responded Doheny’s spokesperson, Alison Power. ”We’ve been talking to people with families whose roots in the district go back to the Civil War, with strong conservative values, and they’ve been very supportive,”.
It is no surprise, then, that in the context of this bitter infighting, Charlie Cook’s political report rates the race as ‘lean Democrat’, even though there are more Republicans living in the district.
Without a swift resolution, or at least a more civil primary season, NY-23 may have to go through another round of painful blood-letting.
Hey, It’s NY. What can ya say?
It sounds as though the district has a totally disfunctional GOP. It’s a shame.
Stinking fat Newt (and “Callista”) will endorse the RINO again.
go Hoffman go
Endorsements mean exactly that: endorse - ments. So they endorsed someone else, so what?
If he runs as the outsider to the insider committees and Hoffman should do fine.
Whine and moan about how unfair someone was to you in politics and it makes me question how thick of a skin you really have and if you can play hardball in Washington, D.C.
Weird how the republican leaders there don’t get the message!?
Matt Doheny to run for New York's 23rd Congressional District (video)
~snip~
He is a portfolio manager at Fintech Advisory and previously worked as a managing director at Deutsche Bank, where he helped restructure companies like Air Canada, Pacific Gas and Electric and Adelphia.
He practiced law at several firms including Hancock and Estabrook in Syracuse after graduating from Cornell Law School in 1995. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Allegheny College.
With experience in the private business sector, Doheny said he had a “deep understanding of the economy and what drives companies.” As a huge asset to his campaign, he said he knows how policies and regulations effect businesses.
Doheny, 39, said healthcare, budgetary deficits, taxes and government involvement and regulations will be key issues for the election.
“People are sick and tired of being over-taxed,” he said . “People are very nervous about where healthcare is going and the role the government is going to play between them and their doctors.”
Doheny said he is not a politician and he’s willing to work hard and be enthusiastic and optimistic.
“We’ve tried with politicians and it hasn’t gone well for our country,” he said. “I have real world experience. I understand what makes the businesses work and what needs to be done to help our economy grow again.
Doheney was considered sufficiently conservative last year.
Why should they have to pick Hoffman simply because the Conservative party has made a back-room deal to endorse Hoffman, and refuses to even CONSIDER another candidate?
Candidates should be judged on their platform and capabilities. I presume there will be a primary. Let’s see how the candidates do.
If Hoffman doesn’t win the Republican primary, he should drop out of the race, refuse the Constitition party endorsement, and throw his backing to Doheney, if Doheney is conservative enough.
Doheney should not be penalized for not wanting to create a 3rd-party problem last year, even though Hoffman did. Remember that Doheney was the candidate who split the conservative vote, which allowed Scuzzi to get a plurality on the 1st ballot.
These idiots deserve to lose. And lose they will.
Fortunately, it looks like we will pick up enough seats elsewhere, so it won’t matter.
How this local Republican Party can figure out a way to lose a Red district in this political environment boggles the mind!
Why do you think Doheney is a RINO? Last year he was considered one of the two viable conservatives in the republican side. Hoffman was part of that, and none of the districts chose him then, instead the conservatives backed Doheney and the other conservative who isn’t running this time.
Conservatives shouldn't be fooled into backing Hoffman again. Last year, it was ABD (any body but Dede), but this year there is a real conservative choice - Doheny.
That's not saying much.
Give it a rest. Didn’t you embarrass yourself enough the last time ?
Do you ever post without lying?
Let there be a primary..if Hoffman wins then we roll with him..if he loses a fair primary where people can vote then we roll with the other guy who wins.
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