NY-23: The Scozzafava Schism

Eric Kleefeld has a great rundown of the Republican players who’ve taken sides in the New York 23rd Congressional District special election between GOP candidate and Dede Scozzafava and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. The short version: elected Republicans are backing Scozzafava, while former officeholders and conservative groups are backing Hoffman.

Scozzafava avoided any embarrassing slip-ups this weekend, but the Hoffman campaign has really gotten on message. And that message is that Hoffman’s election will deal a blow to every facet of progressive and “Republican in Name Only” politics. Robert Stacy McCain, a conservative reporter who’s traveling the district, has helped spread the message that Scozzafava and Democratic candidate Bill Owens are “connected to ACORN” vis a vis their connections to the Working Families Party.