ELECTION RECAP

The final tallies are in and Republicans have taken the VA and NJ Gubernatorial races. Unfortunately, Conservative Doug Hoffman lost the NY-23 race in a four-point squeaker.

It's still a win of sorts, though, because it has (hopefully) taught the GOP a valuable lesson about what kind of candidates should be running - fiscally conservative, low tax, smaller government proponents. One can only imagine how much impact the $900,000 would have had if it had been spent on Hoffman, instead of Scozzafava. Not to mention the 5% of the vote Scozzafava got yesterday could have put Hoffman over the finish line even without the money.

The other bit of silver lining from this race is that we now know that independent candidates can be competitive, even in moderate areas. Which makes sense, really, because many conservatives I've spoken to are fiscally conservative, but more moderate on social issues (as long as they don't raise taxes or smack of socialism).

So although it would have been nice to have a clean sweep, overall I think the message has been sent to both parties.

BTW, Bill Owens, the democrat winner for NY-23 opposes the health care public option (and gay marriage, for that matter - hey, doesn't that make him a closed-minded bigot?), so he's still better than Scozzafava.

SARAH STEPS UP

The NY-23 race has heated up even more. Sarah Palin has endorsed Doug Hoffman, the Independent candidate.

This race was already garnering national attention due to the 'Republican' (I use the term loosely) candidate, Dede Scozzafava. She is in a bit of hot water after calling the police on a reporter from the Weekly Standard after he had asked her some pretty basic questions - the answers to which showed a rather far-left perspective. Some are calling for her to step aside and allow another Republican to run, and the lead she had been enjoying is slipping fast. The Democrat, Owens, is leading, but Hoffman is picking up steam.

Hoffman is a 9/12er who stands for fiscal conservatism, strong defense and lower taxes. He appeared on Glenn Beck's radio show today, and Rush Limbaugh was talking him up as well. Palin's endorsement is the cherry on top.

It will be interesting to see what happens now. The RNC and Newt Gingrich have endorsed Scozzafava, even made excuses for her bad behavior and liberal bent. It seems the 'R' after her name is more important than her actual beliefs. But now that the public is turning against her, they have a decision to make. Stick with a seriously flawed candidate who is slipping badly in the polls, get her to step down and replace her with a better option (not a good idea with only 12 days to go to election), or maybe throw their support behind the true conservative in the race.

This race is a major litmus test - will the republican voters migrate en masse to the Independent candidate, or will he end up splitting the ticket and handing the seat to the democrats? Is this a legitimate movement that can go the distance in the polls, or will it peter out before election day? Sarah, Glenn and Rush are betting it's the former. It's risky, because NY is notorious for their progressive republicans, but the polls are encouraging, and hopefully Palin's endorsement, in conjunction with Beck and Limbaugh, will put him over the top.

Sarah has a lot riding on this election now. She has thrown her lot in with an unknown Independent, and this first foray is vitally important. If he wins, she wins, too, and her 'brand' will be in even stronger demand. If he loses, she will be called voting booth poison and will be ridiculed on a whole new level.

It's a risky proposition for her, so why is she doing it?

I'd say the Huntress is stalking a RINO.

Lock 'n load!