Candidate Tedisco Rejects Help From National GOP

Upstate New York Republican Jim Tedisco is taking control of his campaign for a House seat away from national Republicans, days after a poll showed his commanding 12 point lead shrinking to four.

The Glens Falls PostStar reported yesterday that Tedisco reacted to the bad poll numbers by announcing that his campaign would be commandeering the content of its advertising from the National Republican Congressional Committee.

"I'm taking over and we're going to run a campaign that relates to the people of the 20th Congressional District," Tedisco said, according to the PostStar.

The Huffington Post contacted NRCC headquarters in Washington for comment. A spokesman chose to praise Tedisco for his independence.

"Upstate New Yorkers support Jim Tedisco because he has a history of being an independent voice who has never been afraid to challenge the status-quo," writes deputy spokesman Paul Lindsay in an email. "Now, more than ever, Jim is the type of fighter that middle-class families need in Washington. "

The election is important not just for Tedisco, but also for Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, whose ability to lead the party to electoral victories is already facing serious skepticism. The March 31 special election -- called to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand -- will be the first under Steele's chairmanship.

NRCC spokesman Lindsay also offered harsh criticism for Tedisco's opponent, Democrat Scott Murphy: "The NRCC has an obligation to hold Scott Murphy accountable for the past he is trying to hide as a Wall Street executive whose actions represent everything that has gone wrong with our economy."

Yesterday's survey from Siena College (PDF) said Murphy made his gains in particular on the economy, which likely voters said is the most important issue.

UPDATE 5:13 PM: Tedisco campaign spokesman Adam Kramer shares the following statement with the Huffington Post:

Jim Tedisco has always been an independent voice whether it has been when he stood up to his own party on legislators' pay or when he stood up to Gov. Spitzer on the issues of driver's licenses for illegal aliens. Jim wants to ensure that voters get an opportunity to hear his message on job creation, lower taxes, and restoring fiscal sanity to Washington, even when it might not be the easiest or most popular thing to do with members of his own party.

Comments

[andy5925]

10:38 AM on 03/16/2009

Vote for Jim Tedisco. Vote for honesty, integrity, hard work. Get involved -
http://www.jimtedisco.com

[socalgal59]

02:46 AM on 03/17/2009

Who could vote for a man that looks like Al Bundy's (Married With Children) stunt double?

[Scipio]

04:49 PM on 03/15/2009

That guy ought to change his last name: the disco went out ages ago. He should learn some hip hop. Going it on his own, he's singing, "That's the way/Uh huh, uh huh/I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh."

[RedBlue7]

11:51 AM on 03/15/2009

VOTE: 2 things which made America a prosperous nation until 2001...

http://www.e-paperview.com/epaper-poll-1.html/

[RJII]

10:58 AM on 03/15/2009

go Steele, go Steele. tee hee. You're doing a ba ng up job, dude. Keep up with the Hip Hop plight.

[Rog49Thomas]

08:24 AM on 03/15/2009

Actually, he's only rejecting some forms of help.

Ah, our MSM and even our alternative MSM leading the intellectual race to the bottom.

[Querent]

12:37 AM on 03/15/2009

Is this a picture of Tedisco, or Al Bundy?

[sueinmn]

09:35 PM on 03/14/2009

Why are they always so photogenic? So funny!

[unite4change]

04:43 PM on 03/14/2009

Please pass this on to everyone you know. Every American should see this. So once and for all, the GOP will stop the nonsense about minorities and poor people causing our financial crisis.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meltdown/view/

[RhodaA]

01:06 PM on 03/27/2009

Watched it. Great Program. Also passed it on. Thanks.

[Sassys]

03:23 PM on 03/14/2009

It's kind of fun to watch the Republicans all becoming "independant thinkers." Independant maybe...thinkers? Nope! The Twain shall never meet.

[nowalnuts]

11:40 AM on 03/14/2009

In that picture he really reminds me of Ross Perot.

[socalgal59]

03:22 PM on 03/14/2009

I was thinking he looked more like the Al Bundy character from Married with Children.

[aznurse]

11:21 AM on 03/14/2009

His photo looks like he's singing his rendition of Sinatra's "My Way"

[RJII]

10:56 AM on 03/15/2009

funny. it does

[Swatantra]

11:18 AM on 03/14/2009

I like the picture: Eyes wide open, mouth wide open, lots of noise coming out,
no detectable brain activity.

[LeeCalif]

09:33 AM on 03/14/2009

No driver's license, no car insurance. How smart is that ?!

[DaveV]

09:12 AM on 03/14/2009

As a person who lives in the district in which Mr.Tedisco is running, all we've seen in the media is swear campaigning. This man is like most other politicians in that he is always stating what he thinks the masses need to hear instead of standing by his true convictions. This is the type of politician that the american people are sick and tired of, he won't even comment on where he stands on any of Obama's new policies in helping the country get back on it's feet. The man claims now to be an independent voice yet since he's been in New York politics he's voted along party lines everytime.

[facet]

10:46 AM on 03/14/2009

You should have heard the interview he gave on public radio with Alan Shartoc the other day. One democratic click phrase after another. It was shameless. Not one solution for any of the problems we face.

[Wrenigade]

03:31 PM on 03/14/2009

He's trying to run-away from his party -- Republicans -- because the party is polling at historical lows right now because people are fed-up with their lunatic-fringe-right smear tactics, so all of a sudden, he's "Independent." Riiiiiiiigght. . .

Connolly has my vote.

[FrankenPC]

07:23 PM on 03/14/2009

I couldn't help myself. The lyrics for Bravely Bold Robin:

Brave Sir Robin ran away,
Bravely ran away, away.
When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about
And gallantly, he chickened out. Bravely taking to his feet,
He beat a very brave retreat,
Bravest of the brave, Sir Robin.

He is packing it in and packing it up
And sneaking away and buggering up
And chickening out and pissing off home,
Yes, bravely he is throwing in the sponge.

[Querent]

12:40 AM on 03/15/2009

Tell us why.

[LMPE]

08:44 AM on 03/14/2009

That picture of him looks like the poster for some silly movie.