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Gingrich defends endorsement as 'practical choice'
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is defending his endorsement of a Last week, Gingrich became one of a small handful of conservatives who endorsed Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava (R) in her bid to fill Army Secretary John McHugh's now-vacant House seat. As a result, conservative bloggers said Gingrich had eliminated himself from contention for the GOP's presidential nomination in 2012. "My endorsement of Dede Scozzafava in the special election for New York's 23rd congressional district is a means of regaining a conservative majority in America," Gingrich wrote in a statement on his website. "Although some of her values do not match my own, Scozzafava will help us in our efforts to win back Congress." House GOP strategists are privately, but visibly, frustrated with Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman's candidacy. Recent public polls have showed Hoffman rising at Scozzafava's expense, raising fears that the Republican base will be split enough to hand the seat to attorney Bill Owens (D). As a prelude to the 1994 elections, in which Gingrich's Contract with America helped propel Republicans to a majority in the House for the first time in 40 years, several centrist Republicans won elections in 1993, including Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Now, Gingrich says, Republicans face a similar choice: Elect centrist Republicans, or hand a victory to Democrats -- a loss for the GOP that could have an impact on recruiting in advance of the 2010 elections. "The choice in New York is a practical one: We can split the conservative vote and guarantee the election of a Democrat in a Republican seat in a substantial loss of opportunity. Or we can find a way to elect someone who has committed to vote for the Republican leader, has committed to vote against all tax increases, has committed to vote against cap-and-trade, and is a strong ally of the NRA," Gingrich wrote. Posted by: Fred 2009-10-23 |
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