WASHINGTON (CNN)– Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who came under fire from some conservatives for endorsing Dede Scozzafava in next week's special Congressional election in New York, is now backing Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.
Gingrich made the announcement via Twitter shortly after the Republican Party nominee Scozzafava announced she was releasing supporters from their commitment to back her.
"Scozzafava dropping out leaves hoffman as only anti-tax anti-pelosi vote in ny 23 Every voter opposed to tax increases support doug hoffman," Gingrich wrote on Twitter. (Tweet shown as it appeared)
Polling showed that Scozzafava was running third in this special election for what had been a traditionally safe Republican seat.
But a split among Republicans over who to support, Scozzafava or the more conservative Hoffman, opened the door for Democratic nominee Bill Owens to capture the seat.
National Republican Party officials, who had also endorsed Scozzafava, are now lining up behind Hoffman.
This new show of GOP unity will make it more difficult for Owens to win the election on Tuesday.
From CNN Politics
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When Hoffman wins, this will be one more victory for conservatives, along with McDonnell in Virginia and possibly Christy in NJ. This is the direction the country is moving. I have argued with my liberal friends and associates for years that all America needed to spark a strong move towards conservative values, especially fisical ones, was to have a brief period of on fettered liberal rule in Washington. I believe I am being proved right as more and more voters are becoming very concerned and uncomfortable with the out of control spending and massive increase in deficits that are supported by Obama and the Democrats. I read in the Wall Street Journal that the Democrats are in the process of crafting a spending budget for 2010 that increases spending by 12.1% over the last record 4 trillion dollar spending bill. If that proves to be true, all hell is going to break loose all across this nation. I would not be supprised to see the Tea Party protestes double or triple in turnout size.
Ha Ha. Let the Republican civil war continue. The party is dead.
You Mr. Gingrich as well as Mr. Steele should have endorsed Doug Hoffman from the beginning.
The inmates have taken over the asylum
I hope Hoffman does not win we do not need any more negativism than we already have.
Has Newt lost his mind??? How could he have ever endorsed Scozzafava is beyond me in the first place!! He has lost a great deal of credibility in my book!!
Republican leaders are saying, unless you are a conservative, we don't want your kind in the little tent. So much for party loyalty.
Maybe Americans are beginning to wake up! The big spending has got to stop. We need elected officials who will reign in big government not create a nanny state.
Its so sad. The "big tent" Republican Party that Ronald Reagan created is dead!
In its place there is nothing left than a fundamentalist Christian-designed social agenda and neo-con foreign policy ideology. The fiscal conservatives aren't even well-represented anymore!
Further, while there USE to be plenty of Republicans on the local and national level who pursued responsible environmental policies, a woman's right to choose whether to have an abortion, and the Reagan-inspired engage-but-verify approach to foreign policy...these members of the party have been systematically purged from the Republican ranks.
Dede Scozzafava is yet another victim of the Republicans' efforts to "cleanse" itself of anyone who isn't ideologically pure. This passiona for purity is demonstrated by the lineup of national Republican figures who have dutifully lined up to support the opponent of a lowly Republican Congressional candidate who isn't part of the "right way of thinking".
How sad for the legacy of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan that such a pogram of purity would be tolerated among the Republicans.
How ridiculous is this... this makes Republican Women (ex. Sarah Palin resigning) look so weak... She is willing to step aside for the man – where are her principles? Why did she run in the first place?
Newt just lost all credibility when he endorsed the RINO.Now he thinks jumping on the bus this late will save it.What an idiot he is.I guess he thinks people will forget he just made a complete fool out of himself.Go crawl back under your rock Newt, your the old RINO guard republicans like Palin are replacing.Conservatives who have the guts to take political risk not caring if it hurts them, are what the GOP needs.Not so called conservatives who play it safe when their candidates in the lead,then scorn the people who do not back the ACORN affiliate endorsed lady.Get lost Newt Hoffman doesnt need your stupid endorsement anyways.I hope he wins and helps send big tent RINOs like you packing.
Newt taking advantage of Scuzzy leaving.
If Newt really wants to earn his way back into the conservatives' support, he should negotiate with Scuzzy to outright declare her support for Doug Hoffman. Otherwise, Newt, shut up.
I wonder how Gingrich feels being dethroned as patriarch of the the mortally wounded Republican/Conservative party by Rush Limbaugh.
I wouldn't call Ginrich an asset. He like Ted Kennedy a dragging anchor.
"Difficult"? I thought it was about the people's choice. Are the people all of a sudden controlled now by major party nominees? How is this control measured and how is it increased? How do I cause a person to vote for me?
With economic numbers this good, there may be an upset.
I think we just found out who runs the GOP. No more center right, just extreme right. Newt got beaten out Palin, Rush and the rest of the Fix News group. The GOP continues to move right, right and more right. Then they wonder why their party is only 20% of the nation. Now with this move that number is probably 15%. Any republican who is center right is not welcome in the new GOP. Once more it showed how strong the extreme right has become in the GOP, they scared Newt into changing his mind, so much for Newt standing up for his convictions. Everyone welcome the new GOP representing 15% of America.
Now that he knows it was a losing cause he endorses Hoffman, he is phony as the rest of them.
No room in my party for moderates. We are now the party of hate mongers, neocons, gay bashers, big bank bailouts, big insurance company bailouts. We have ultra right wing politicians who are brought with big business donations and it is only big business money that gets representation. We have all been fools to think they are representing us the middle class working man. Do not vote for extremists. Vote for those who represent you in the primaries. Only then will we have a voice.
As long as people like Gingrich endorses anyone, the recipient is Toast.
Th GOP will continue to flounder under these old Hacks..
If I were a Republican and running for office, I certainly would not start crowing about an endorsement by Newt! In fact, I might even push it under the rug so as to hide it from the world!
Is that a plus for Hoffman? Sounds like a minus to me!
We knew that this would happen and we knew that she would withdraw; no big news. Everyone is to vote for a candiate not from the district but because he believes just the way the conservative repub believes; or does he. That gives the repubs their crowing ground. A republican has held this positon for how many years; you really accomplished something new.
what a surprise.... the right-winger nutcases all stick together
These ultra right-wingers should just go ahead and start their own party. Since their ultimate endgame is to turn the United States into a military empire with a fuedalist economic system, perhaps they should call their new "conservative" party the Imperial Fuedalist party.
The bandwagon is officially leaving the station to the GOPer far right wing in their quest for party purity. Moderate independents need not apply. You betcha!
(Nonsense).
Once again..........Can you say......KISS OF DEATH??
And exactly what did the tax policy Gingrich advocates give us?
People need to wake up to the fact that's been staring them in the face for the last 30 years: When Republicans talk about "tax cuts," they're talking about cutting taxes on the wealthy – ONLY – who then take that money and invest it overseas, building factories there and shutting them down here.
All these irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthy are what took the Clinton surplus and turned it into the massive Bush deficit.
You really want more of that? Only a fool would vote for Hoffman!
One thing about these pubs... it doesn't take much for them to "get in line." What a gutless, thoughtless crew!
[GINGRICH SWITCH ENDORSEMENT TO HOFFMAN] = [A PALIN WIN]
No other way to describe this but a win for the extreme right-wing faction of the Republican Party. Religious-right crusader Sarah Palin backed extremist Doug Hoffman, and then GOP Pawlenty was forced to follow Palin's endorsement of Hoffman.
Initially Newt Gingrich and GOP Party Chairman Michael Steele backed Republican Moderate Dede Scozzafava, but now that she has dropped out due to pressure from Palin and the extremist, Steele and Gingrich are left holding the "Moderate" bag.
It is time for all politicans to realize that America is not happy with politics as usual, that means Repubs and Dems. It really does not matter who endorses a candidate. Whether it be the Rep National Party or the Dem National Party or Obama Or Gingrich. People want representation and not more talk of change.
Owens is history.
Nice display of republican principles.
Now the Republican Party is starting to listen...and not to the knuckleheads of the MSM like Katie Couric....yeesh.
Dede saved your hide this time Newt, don't make the same mistake twice.
Dede...'Thank You' for doing what is best for the party and the country.
The GOP is a train wreck without a conductor.
NOW does anybody doubt the power of Sarah Palin? She was the first to endorse the "real" Republican, Hoffman.....stand by for future developments
Can you believe that that what is left of the real republican party is sinking to a new low. Even the Taliban supports Hoffman. AND that doesn't bother republicans.
You just shake your head and say how, how in the world can republicans become so dumbed down and violent.
is this supposed to be a good thing?
Newt is the kiss of death
Too late Newt. You've successfully tied yourself to the lefty RINO.
Interesting That Newt "The Grinch" Gingrich Crawls From Out Under His Rock Just To Endose....Weeeee! ...Yea!
Newt is another one who will acquiesce when it comes to the Conservative Republican Party. Just because Scozzafava dropped out of the race doesn’t mandate him supporting Hoffman. If Newt didn’t think Hoffman wasn’t worth supporting in the first place, then maintain some credibility and just don’t support anyone.
If you believe in individual freedom and choices you better be prepared to get out and support your Democratic candidate.
Finally – the moderate Republicans "see the light" and endorse Hoffman. Hope it isn't too late! We need the conservative viewpoint in Congress!
Dede made a HUGE mistake in a recent commercial coming out of the closet as a liberal ..touting her support of O Bama's stimulus, of gay nuptuals and pro abortion stands..It was comfirming what Hoffman had said was TRUE..She was DONE after that ..Her poll#s dropped from the 30% to 20% in a week.
Wow, Newt. Really going out on a limb there. THe R pulls out, so now you'll endorse the conservative?
Why don't you go back to something you do well, like infidelity. Let's just remember Newt as the philanderer who persecuted Clinton for having an affair.
Neocon = hypocracy.
I was against him before I was for him,but now its time I am against him,wait a minute for him.Outsiders should just stay out of this,opps I am an outsider as well.Well Palin was before a bridge before she was against it.However at least she got this one right by being just for him.Seems she is learning she can compete with these GOP cowards.Ya they are cowards who only endorsed after their women stood up and said no to this acorn approved lib.Only one male Fred Thompson supported him when the chips were down as well as his poll #s.This says everything about the GOP so called male leaders. 99% of them are losers,wafflers,and cowards.Heres the latest example today this guy and Huckabee join up.Cowards pathetic cowards, who gave lame excusses to waffle or support the liberal.
Look at them all backing up Hoffman now, they waited til some what they call big names like Paw and Sawa .....now they all want to be hero's for backing a loser
That add was put up by Hoffman's Club for Growth supporters. Dede is the only one of the three who really has a handle on the issues important to the North Country and because of that should have and would have attracted a fair number of moderate Democrats. Unfortunately, the National Republican are no longer interested in a big tent or any candidate who strays from a strange brew of conservative ideology that seems to come from the Hoover era.
Gingrich and Steele must obey the party rules and do what they are told. Sasd, but true, but if the freakin democrats would stick together then we could have health reform.
Wake up America! Think about life and liberty under the extreme right wing–it's very scary.
There are none so blindas those who will not see! Get Over it we Won...not really you won the vote and you lost – almost lost – a country...hang in there we're coming to yur rescue