New York's 23rd Congressional District, a safe Republican seat, became vacant when Obama appointed their Congressman to be Secretary of the Army. Now a special election to fill his seat is underway.
It had been a three-way race between a moderate Republican, Dede Scozzafava, who was picked by the Republican establishment; the ultra conservative Doug Hoffman, running as the Conservative Party candidate; and Bill Owens, a Democrat.
An all out campaign has been waged by right-wingers, including Sarah Palin, to support Hoffman over Scozzafava -- so much so and so well financed, that Scozzafava announced that she was dropping out of the race, after assessing her chances of winning as slim.
Democrats were hoping that Scozzafava and Hoffman would divide the Republican vote, letting Owens take the seat that was once a safe Republican one. Then it looked like that hope vanished when Scozzafava dropped out. But wait !!! There's another act. Today Scozzafava, the moderate Republican, endorsed Owens, the Democrat. Stay tuned.
But what makes this so interesting is that it may portend the race to the bottom that will destroy the Repubs chance for a come-back in 2010. If the right-wing of the Repubs take control, it may drive the moderates to the Democrats, further anchoring the GOP as a minority party for a long time to come. It's beginning to dawn on many of them: moderate Republicans have more in common with Democrats than they do with the hard, right-wing of their own party.
Let's hope so.
Ralph
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