Republicans claim two new governorships in Virginia (Bob McDonnell) and New Jersey (Chris Christie), but lost by a small margin in the drama that is NY-23. The flood of high profile endorsements from Palin, et. al. was not able to carry Doug Hoffman over the winning edge. However, had Dede Scozzafava bowed out of the race earlier (instead of the weekend before election day), Hoffman may have captured enough more votes to eke out a victory.
There are folks pointing fingers at conservatives for messing up the NY-23 race. That’s nonsense considering how conservatives came out in droves to vote for Hoffman. His poll numbers weren’t even close to Owens’ until word of Scozzafava’s campaign suspension spread out. The fact that Hoffman still managed to lose by less than five points speaks volumes of the conservative support base.
In NY-23 the Republican establishment — namely NRCC — should shoulder the blame for endorsing a liberal (spare me the “moderate” moniker) candidate. Almost a million dollars of campaign funding from the Republican Party later, Dede Scozzafava acknowledged defeat, quit the race, and made waves by rallying for Democrat Bill Owens.
In New Jersey where the race was seen to be a nail biter, President Obama and V.P. Biden both stumped for incumbent Democrat Jon Corzine, only to find out from last night’s election result that voters not only rejected Gov. Corzine, but also Obama and Biden. Christie ended up five points ahead of Corzine, whereas recent polls had them tied.
It’s time for President Obama to face reality: there was never a mandate in 2008. After 2008 voters were proven not to be racists; and after last night, voters were proven not to be socialists.
In Virginia where Republicans candidates crushed their opponents, the W.H. was seen distancing itself from the lost cause and leaving a bad taste in Deeds’ mouth. We’ll let them work that out themselves…
One more thing: In the liberal New England state of Maine, voters rejected a recent law allowing same-sex marriages. When will these gay activists learn not to meddle in tradition?
