Scozzafava endorses Owens resulting in a big lead for Hoffman

Via Memeorandum:

Public Policy Polling has Conservative Doug Hoffman leading Democrat Bill Owens 54% to 38%. So much for Republican(?) Scozzafava's endorsement of Owens. As Hoffman's margin grows I wouldn't be surprised if the NRCC put out a press release claiming that this was their plan all along.

An interesting poll finding:

One key finding that may have ultimately scuttled Scozzafava's candidacy: 59% of Republicans considered her to be a liberal and only 7% thought she was a conservative. By comparison 80% of them consider Hoffman to be a conservative, and that's a good thing where nearly two thirds of GOP voters define themselves that way.

Newt Gingrich, among others, claimed that he backed Scozzafava because she was the choice of the local party but it seems odd that in a district where two thirds of Republicans consider themselves conservative that they would chose a candidate that 59% consider to be a liberal. Pat at And So it Goes in Shreveport sites a TCOT Report story that says Scozzafava wasn't their choice:

Scozzafava was nominated on July 22 at a meeting of the eleven county chairmen. Prior to this meeting, a series of four regional meetings were held throughout the district, at which time nine candidates were given a chance to appear in front of a select group of Republican committeemen and State Party Officials. Many conservative Republicans in the 23rd Congressional District were insulted by the Speaker's blatant mischaracterization that Scozzafava was the "unanimous" choice of the four regional meetings that preceded the nominee selection meeting held on July 22. Contrary to the Speaker's assertions, Scozzafava received a majority of the support in only one of these four meetings.

She never had the local support the NRCC contended. Leahy asked Fulton County Republican County Chairman Susan McNeil if there was any support at all for Dede in Fulton County. McNeil's response? "In all of the calls I have received there is no support for Dede."

Hmm. I haven't heard the RNC/NRCC/Gingrich response to that.

You can follow the NY23 race at The Other McCain, who has updated the story here, here, here and here.