The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : NY23: First Palin, Now Pawlenty -- Will Huckabee Endorse HoffmanNext?

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NY23: First Palin, Now Pawlenty -- Will Huckabee Endorse HoffmanNext?

By Robert Stacy McCain on 10.26.09 @ 7:23PM

With the news today that Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the three-way congressional race in upstate New York's 23rd District, now the pressure is on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to follow suit.

"After reviewing the candidates' positions, I'm endorsing Doug Hoffman in New York's special election," Pawlenty said in a statement issued to the conservative blog Red State, which has strongly supported Hoffman.

"Doug understands the federal government needs to quit spending so much, will vote against tax increases, and protect key values like the right to vote in private in union elections," Pawlenty said.

Sarah Palin's endorsement last week may have prompted Pawlenty -- like Palin, a possible contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination -- to back Hoffman's challenge to the GOP establishment, which is supporting Dede Scozzafava, a liberal Republican state assemblywoman, in the Nov. 3 special election.

With both Pawlenty and Palin officially endorsing Hoffman, all eyes are focused on Huckabee. Now a popular Fox News personality, the folksy Huckabee last week praised Hoffman during an appearance on Neil Cavuto's show, but stopped short of an endorsement. Speaking of the pro-choice Scozzafava, however, Huckabee said he couldn't "support somebody who does not believe that every human life has value and meaning,"

Huckabee finds himself in an awkward position in the New York campaign to fill the House seat vacated by Republican Rep. John McHugh, appointed by President Obama to be Secretary of the Army. Huckabee is due to speak Tuesday night in Syracuse at a New York Conservative Party awards dinner but, as he told Cavuto, he won't be giving "an endorsement speech."

Huckabee's speech was scheduled before the NY23 election became the focus of a national political maelstrom. Most New York media expect Hoffman also to attend Tuesday's dinner, although the congressional candidate has not yet publicly announced whether he will attend.

Some Hoffman campaign officials are concerned that, if Hoffman shows up at the Syracuse dinner, it might be viewed as distracting from Huckabee's spotlight. Conservative Party officials don't want to put pressure on their Republican guest of honor. Huckabee won't endorse Scozzafava, and he certainly wouldn't support the little-known Democratic candidate Bill Owens. Therefore, Huckabee's status as a "friendly neutral" in the three-way election may be the best the Hoffman campaign can hope for.

However, Red State's Erick Erickson is laying down an ultimatum to any Republican who wants grassroots conservative support for a 2012 presidential bid:

At a time when the conservative brand is ascending and the Republican brand is still in the gutter, candidates like Romney and Huckabee have a chance to man up and stand with the base of the GOP -- a base that is tired of TARP, No Child Left Behind, indictments, and out of control spending.

Erickson says Romney and Huckabee have until noon Wednesday to endorse Hoffman or . . . well, or else. Guess that means Erickson has already scratched Newt Gingrich off his 2012 list.

View all comments (13) | Leave a comment

voter| 10.26.09 @ 7:40PM

I think Erik Erikson needs very much to get over himself. "Or else?????" Yeah, like Redstate was so important in selecting our 2008 candidate.

Mary Louise| 10.26.09 @ 8:28PM

This is a lose/lose for establishment republicans. If Hoffman wins, they not only backed a loser but a Sanger award loser. Think about the GOP platform and think about that.

If Hoffman loses, his supporters aren't trending the establishment's way at all.

Maybe Pawlenty sees a way to begin a reshaping. I don't know much about him. He was very good in a one-on-one w/Tom Brokaw just before last election. He slapped down every one of his premises. And Rush is right when he recommends conservatives do that. The Good Morning interview w/Rush was really good. The person doing the interviewing was really professional, yet direct.

The two ads, you can find them at Ace's place, running against Hoffman are not very good. The dem ad is SOP and completely deflated. The NCRR ad is much better, but it can only work for a party that retains its strong force. The establishment does not constitute its strong force.

God bless the workers, and you too. You worked really hard for Hoffman.

Raymond| 10.26.09 @ 8:33PM

A win by Hoffman will clearly justified Sarah Palin's strong influence over the conservatives and libertarians. Sarah Palin, like the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia, is slowly but surely getting momentum. Simply analyze all hurricane movements, the slower the hurricane moves, the stronger force it has. Hurricane Sarah will be unstoppable force by 2012 and she does not need GOP nomination. She can form her own conservative party. Americans, by 2012, will soon realize that all these traditional politicians and intellectual elites are just a waste and are just a clear danger to American society and the fundamentals of its freedom.

David Jack Smith| 10.26.09 @ 8:43PM

Is the Khymer Rouge really an apt metaphor for Sarah Palin?

I'd like to see the RINO skulls in a neat pile as much as the next conservative, Nancy Pelosi working knee deep is a rice field is also a great motif, and serves the cackling old crone right.

I prefer to think of Mrs P in the Mrs T mold as an Iron Lady.

rt| 10.26.09 @ 8:34PM

Pawlenty is nothing but a opportunist...he is a global warming RINO>>>>DO NOT TRUST HIM!!!!!! I trust Sarah Palin....Go SARAH!

ATLmedia| 10.26.09 @ 8:58PM

Run Sarah run.
The only force sure to keep Obama safely in
the White House-a cute anti-intellectual w/mercenary ruthlessness.
Look forward to those 'winky' debates (-)(0)

louqiaoguaiguai| 10.26.09 @ 9:17PM

i look forward to it.

Mark| 10.26.09 @ 9:32PM

From my pointy view, support for Scozzafava is as disqualifying for a GOP candidate as saying ANYTHING good about Teddy the K. But then I have no doubt that McCain, Graham, Snowe, Collins, and Crist are about to come out for her...

Huckapedia| 10.27.09 @ 7:37AM

Mike Huckabee's gigantic network of Fans all across the country continue to expand at a phenomenal pace.

Thousands of Huckabee Fans from 50 states and 412 counties are constantly multiplying 24 / 7.

Check it out for yourself, just google the words: Huckabee Fan Club

Eric Damon| 10.27.09 @ 9:44AM

Honestly, who cares if Huckabee and/or Romney endorse Hoffman? Neither of those guys is at heart a true conservative, embracing conservatism only as a means to advance their political fortunes. Huckabee is a tax raising populist, while Romney gave the country an advance screening of ObamaCare with his RomneyCare in Massachusetts. And why would anyone expect Mr. Newt to endorse a conservative? Despite all of his yapping about conservative principles, when Newt had an opportunity to push forward on his Contract for America he passed. He got the Speaker's gavel, and instead of pushing for the programs in the Contract, he abandoned them as soon as he got them to a House vote. What has he ever done for the conservative cause that was not first and foremost in HIS political best interests?

Jeff| 10.27.09 @ 9:43PM

It's really nice to see that a candidate who doesn't live in the 23rd is getting support from conservatives who don't live in the 23rd. I'm sure the local folks that need a new highway, help controlling acid rain, and have issues with the St. Lawrence Seaway will forget all that for candidate Hoffman, who will eschew all earmarks and vote no, no, and no for anything and everything.

We have only a few moderate Republicans left in Congress from the Northeast. Any help from Palin and others in removing them for a totally Blue map is appreciated.

The idea of a litmus test that will purge the country club Republicans out the party and leave the social conservatives in control is a great idea. The fewer the merrier.