Conservatives emboldened by moves in New York election
Tue 03 Nov 2009
Candidates for New York's 23rd Congressional District -- Democrat Bill Owens, left, Republican Dede Scozzafava and Conservative Doug Hoffman -- prepare for a debate last week. Scozzafava, a moderate state assemblywoman who had been attacked by conservatives, later quit the race. The election on Tuesday will be closely watched.
Reporting from Washington-- The triumph of conservative forces over the Republican Party establishment in upstate New York has emboldened like-minded activists around the country, and it could drive the GOP sharply to the right as it lines up candidates for the 2010 midterm congressional elections.
The rebellion that drove a moderate Republican off the ballot in a special House election today is sending a clear message to the party leadership and its candidates: Ignore the conservative grass roots at your peril.
That message is likely to resonate in the coming months in several congressional primaries and in races where third-party challenges are springing up and threatening to divide the Republican vote.
In Columbus, Ohio, a conservative has decided to run for the House because he does not see enough difference between Democratic Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy and her leading Republican opponent.
In southern Virginia, where Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello has been expected to face a tough fight for a second term, a conservative is campaigning against a Republican he considers a RINO -- Republican in Name Only.
The most prominent battlefield on which the conservative wildfire is spreading is Florida, where Gov.
The rebellion that drove a moderate Republican off the ballot in a special House election today is sending a clear message to the party leadership and its candidates: Ignore the conservative grass roots at your peril.
That message is likely to resonate in the coming months in several congressional primaries and in races where third-party challenges are springing up and threatening to divide the Republican vote.
In Columbus, Ohio, a conservative has decided to run for the House because he does not see enough difference between Democratic Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy and her leading Republican opponent.
In southern Virginia, where Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello has been expected to face a tough fight for a second term, a conservative is campaigning against a Republican he considers a RINO -- Republican in Name Only.
The most prominent battlefield on which the conservative wildfire is spreading is Florida, where Gov.
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