New York’s 23rd Congressional District lies near Canada, far to the north — but next week’s special election merits attention throughout the state.
That’s because the Republican candidate in that race, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, is the product of an obscenely corrupt political bargain by GOP bosses that sells out their party — and New Yorkers generally.
Because of that, and because so many of her positions ill-serve the interests of New York and the nation, The Post today endorses businessman Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party nominee.
No, Republicans needn’t toe the conservative line without any deviation. Moderate GOPers like Rudy Giuliani have managed to stray on some issues without wholly betraying their party.
But a Republican should adhere to certain minimum GOP principles. Scozzafava is just too far to the left too often.
And not only on social matters, like same-sex marriage and abortion. In Albany, Scozzafava has been such a profligate tax-and-spender, she can almost make Speaker Sheldon Silver blush.
With the backing of the ACORN-allied Working Families Party, she supports Big Labor’s favorite organizing bill — card-check — as well as the federal stimulus, opposed by every House Republican.
Hoffman, by contrast, understands the dangers of unchecked spending, monster deficits and ever-higher taxes — i.e., concerns of average working Americans.
Scozzafava is the hand-picked candidate of former state GOP chairman Joseph Mondello. His successor, Ed Cox, should learn a lesson from this fiasco.
Voters in this traditionally GOP district can send a useful message — by sending Doug Hoffman to Congress.