Women and Politics

WCF-endorsed former candidate for NY-23

Remember Dede? She was edged out of the race for Congress in NY-23 because she dared to be a female moderate Republican. After suspending her race, she endorsed the Democratic candidate Bill Owens, who ended up winning over the GOP-backed Conservative candidate.

In a recent interview with CNN, Dede recounted how atrocious the attacks against her truly were:

“The attacks were pretty vicious, especially since it was coming from people who identify themselves as Republicans.”

Robo calls from her Conservative opponent used terms like “homo-lover” and “child-killer” to describe her.

About the outside Republicans who swooped in to oppose her, such as Sarah Palin, Dede said:

“They had no understanding of who I was and no understanding of the issues that drove the district. So for people to come out and be endorsing a candidate in a race in a place that they knew nothing about, I thought it was pretty disingenuous.”

To top it all off, Dede has now been strong-armed out of her state Assembly seat. POLITICO says that Assembly Minority Leader Brain Kolb had been receiving complaints about Dede from his members, and decided to “have a frank discussion” with her. Aka, ask her to resign.

But even after all of this—after her party turned against her, viciously attacked her, and now dumped her—Dede says she plans to remain a Republican. She hopes the party can be unified moving forward so that they can agree on core principals.

Dede says she has no regrets about her decisions, even her support of the Democratic candidate:

“I do not regret, at all, the endorsement,” she said. “And I do not regret running.”

Dede, we don’t regret you running, either. Not even a little bit. Thank you for being brave enough to stand up and say, “I’m a female Republican who supports reproductive choices and gay rights, and that’s OK.”

Thank you for helping to put another crack in the political glass ceiling. Your story will help inspire future women candidates who dare to break the mold.

I am saddened to learn that Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava has suspended her campaign for the NY-23 special election. Her decision comes after weeks of Republicans putting their support behind Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.

Dede represented a beacon of hope—hope that we could move beyond partisan politics. Hope that the Republican party would support more women.

But thanks in no small part to a vocal minority, NY-23 has lost the most experienced candidate in the race. They have lost the candidate who was born and raised in their district and would have most accurately represented their values.

Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett remarked on ABC’s “This Week”:

“It’s rather telling when the Republican Party forces out a moderate Republican.”

Senior White House Advisor David Axelrod agreed, saying:

“It sends a clear message to moderates within that party that there’s no room at the inn for them.”

WCF will continue to fight for women like Dede—because there should be room at the inn for moderate women Republican candidates.

Despite the disappointment over losing such a qualified woman leader, we have to remember this: Every time a woman runs, we all win, regardless of the outcome. Research shows that far fewer women than men consider running for office, and of those, significantly fewer actually run.

So every woman who runs for office serves as a role model and takes us one step closer to overcoming this ambition gap. Thank you, Dede, for being such a strong leader and for bravely stepping up to run for Congress.

It seems that Dede Scozzafava’s party is failing her. Word came today of even more Republicans jumping ship to back Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the NY-23 special election.

At first, I had hope. The list of people backing Hoffman wasn’t exactly current party leadership: Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Former New York Gov. George Pataki, Former House majority leader Dick Armey, Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

However, now we hear that National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman (NRCC) Pete Sessions is jumping ship on Dede, too. Sessions told POLITICO he would welcome Hoffman “with open arms.”

So now, thanks to those who don’t feel that the Republican Party should embrace ideals such as women’s rights, Hoffman is rising in the polls, and the GOP is afraid of losing the Republican seat.

To those who abandoned their own candidate, I have to ask: What if you stood in defense of Dede instead of caving to outside pressure? What would the outcome be if her party actually supported her properly?

Is this how all Republican female candidates should expect to be treated—left in the dust when faced with opposition? Abandoned for standing up against sexual abuse? Cast aside to endorse a candidate who drags the party backward?

Shame on you for deserting your own candidate, and double shame on you for deserting a strong female candidate, who you so desperately need for your party’s future.

Click here to support Dede today.

Of the total women (90) currently serving in Congress, less than a quarter (21) are Republican. Why?

Let’s look at the case of Dede Scozzafava, WCF-endorsed candidate. She was picked by the Republican party to run in a special election for Congress in NY-23—despite her support of reproductive health choices and gay rights.

However, the vocal fringe of the GOP has descended upon upstate New York to so vehemently oppose her election that they publicly admit they would rather the Democratic candidate win than Dede. They’re now promoting accountant Doug Hoffman, who is running on the state’s Conservative Party line.

These folks (Sarah Palin among them) say Dede doesn’t embrace the ideals of the Republican party. But as David Brooks points out in the New York Times, her voting record is pretty middle of the road:

“Her voting record puts her almost exactly in the middle of legislators nationwide. That means she’s a moderate, though slightly right of center in the context of New York. So do the conservative honchos welcome somebody in the middle of the spectrum? No.”

Dede has a strong record of defending women’s rights, from sexual abuse to domestic violence. Are these issues “too moderate” for the Republican party? They weren’t too moderate to prevent her from being their candidate. And let’s keep in mind that the majority of voters support people’s ability to make their own life decisions about reproductive health.

I argue that women like Dede embody what should be the future of the Republican party: Not out of touch with mainstream ideals and supportive of women’s rights.

A moderate female Republican candidate shouldn’t have to experience what Dede and so many others have. As a nonpartisan organization, WCF fully stands behind Dede and looks to endorse female Republican candidates who advocate for women’s rights, including reproductive health choices.

I sincerely hope that the minority opposition won’t outweigh the true voice of NY-23 and deny them of such a qualified and talented woman leader.

Click here and support Dede today.