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That strange election in upstate New York concludes its final pre-election rallies today, with some notable developments:
• Dede Scozzafava, the Republican who quit the race over the weekend and then endorsed Democrat Bill Owens, showed up at an Owens campaign event on Sunday, telling him about her concern on local issues and entreating him to avoid the “hateful and divisive” that sealed her demise in the race, a clear reference to Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman and his national far-right following.
• Newt Gingrich is also a little perturbed that he went out on a limb to support Scozzafava, only to see her endorse the Democrat. In the world of conservative activism, Gingrich may have torches his 2012 chances right there, if he had any to start with.
• The race may hinge on whether Owens can get out that late message about Scozzafava’s support. In the Siena poll, very few of those polled knew about Scozzafava’s Sunday endorsement, and if the news spreads on that it could sway the large group of Scozzafava supporters in the undecided category.
• Owens has Joe Biden coming in today for a day of campaigning, while Hoffman features Fred Thompson tonight. Interestingly, Hoffman spent the morning in private conversation with local Republicans, perhaps trying to line up support from disaffected Scozzafava stalwarts.
• Clearly marginalizing the right-wing has become the means to rallying Democratic and independent support for Owens. In his remarks today at the Biden rally, Owens noted that “right wing ideologues spent $1 million to drive Assemblywoman Scozzafava out of the race,” nationalizing the campaign in much the way that Hoffman has done throughout.
• This post from the Albany Times-Union blog gives a fascinating window into the geography of the large, 11-county 23rd District. Hoffman’s base is in the central New York counties of Madison, Oneida and Oswego. Owens’ best support comes from “North Country East,” the counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton and Hamilton. Scozzafava had a base among “North Country West,” in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, and the turnout and vote totals there may make the difference.
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Will Lawn Order get his red pickup out of mothballs for his appearance with Hoffman tonight? What an old fraud he is — simply a McCain stalking horse last year, siphoning off enough rightie votes in GOP primaries to cripple Huckabee, never intending to make an actual run for the nomination.
I hope NY23 voters treat him like the double-carpetbagger he is: from Tennessee (himself) and New York City (as Arthur Branch, non-crusading, bourbon-sipping, obstructionist boss of Jack McCoy).
I heard last night that NY23 is the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River, so Lawn Order better bring gas money for his little red pickup truck.