Dierdre Scozzafava
Encyclopedia
Dierdre R. "Dede" Scozzafava ( , born April 28, 1960) is an American
Republican
politician in New York
. She represented District 122 in the New York State Assembly
, which includes most of St. Lawrence
and Lewis Counties
in the North Country
and a small portion of Oswego County
from 1999 to 2011.
She was the Republican nominee to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2009 special election in , but suspended her campaign shortly before the election and threw her support to the eventual Democratic
winner, Bill Owens.
Scozzafava announced that she would not run for re-election to the State Assembly in the 2010 election cycle and endorsed the Democratic nominee Brian McGrath. McGrath, however, lost the election and Scozzafava was succeeded by Republican Ken Blankenbush.
, but has resided for most of her life in Gouverneur
, a small village located halfway between Canton
and Watertown. She holds a B.S. degree from the Boston University School of Management
, as well as an M.B.A. from the Clarkson University
Graduate School of Management.
First elected to the New York State Assembly in 1998, Scozzafava was the ranking Republican on the Codes Committee, as well as a member of the Education and Local Government committees. For the 2001-2002, session she served on the Standing Committees on Economic Development, Education, and Social Services. Scozzafava was also the first-ever female Minority Leader Pro Tempore in the history of the State Assembly. Prior to her election to the Assembly, she served as a member of the Gouverneur Board of Trustees from 1989 to 1993 and was Mayor of Gouverneur from 1993 to 1998.
A liberal Republican, Scozzafava supports abortion
and same-sex marriage
. She also has strong ties to organized labor, something which is not common for most Republicans. In agreement with most Republicans, Scozzafava is against cap-and-trade and is in favor of maintaining the Bush tax cuts
.
Scozzafava opposes gun control and has a lifetime "A" rating from the National Rifle Association
.
Scozzafava considered running in a special election for the 48th state senate district, which includes most of the northwestern portion of her former assembly district, in 2008. However, area Republicans chose Assemblyman William Barclay
, in part because they thought Scozzafava would be seen as too socially liberal. Barclay lost the election to Democratic Assemblyman Darrel Aubertine
, and some Republican operatives said that in hindsight they should have picked Scozzafava.
According to Scozzafava's filed campaign reports, her husband and other family members have been the largest donors to her campaigns. Scozzafava's ties to Seaway Capital Partners (a firm which owes nearly $200,000 in back taxes and which is run by her brother) were questioned in connection with her 2009 run for Congress. She responded that she had had no direct ties to the company since 2007.
In April 2010, Scozzafava announced that she would not run for re-election to the New York State Assembly in November 2010. While Scozzafava endorsed Democrat Brian McGrath to fill her seat in New York's 122nd Assembly District, McGrath was defeated by Republican Ken Blankenbush
.
In January 2011, Scozzafava was appointed New York Deputy Secretary of State for Local Government by Democratic Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.
to be the Republican nominee for the special election
to fill the seat in the United States Congress
vacated by John M. McHugh
, who resigned September 21, 2009, upon taking office as the Secretary of the Army
.
Conservatives had criticized Scozzafava for accepting the endorsement of the Working Families Party
in her earlier assembly campaigns, noting the close ties between that party and liberal activist group ACORN
. Many notable Republicans, including former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin
, Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty
of Minnesota and former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson, endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman
rather than the Republican candidate because they deemed Scozzafava insufficiently conservative and ideologically indistinguishable from the Democrat. To illustrate this point, the Hoffman campaign ran television advertisements depicting Scozzafava and Owens as "two peas in a liberal pod."
Scozzafava voted for same-sex marriage in the New York State Assembly, and she had also received an award from a Planned Parenthood affiliate in 2008. Scozzafava's political positions included support for "card check" legislation, support for federal funding for abortion, support for President Obama's 2009 stimulus package, and a refusal to rule out support for health care reform that includes a "public option."
In the campaign for the U.S. House seat, Scozzafava received endorsements from Newt Gingrich
, Congressman Peter T King, the National Rifle Association
(NRA), the Log Cabin Republicans
, and the New York State United Teachers
(NYSUT), the largest labor union in New York State. Liberal Democratic blogger Markos Moulitsas, of the Daily Kos
blog wrote a column in which he said he was rooting for Scozzafava.
During the campaign, Scozzafava received negative attention after her husband made a nuisance complaint to police against a member of the media that some alleged to be false. Scozzafava also held a press conference outside one of Doug Hoffman's campaign offices in which Hoffman's campaign staff and volunteers created "a sea of red 'Hoffman Congress' signs for the television cameras as Ms. Scozzafava spoke."
On October 31, 2009, with poll numbers indicating that she was likely to lose in the three-way race with Conservative Party of New York
candidate Doug Hoffman
and Democratic candidate Bill Owens and insufficient funds and other campaign support to overcome the gap, Scozzafava ended her campaign and released her supporters to "transfer their support as they [saw] fit.”
Scozzafava also expressed frustration at how the race had become nationalized.
The following day, Scozzafava threw her support to Democrat Owens, calling him "an independent voice who will put New York first." This action put Scozzafava at odds with the Republican National Committee
, which had backed Scozzafava prior to her withdrawal (but had subsequently declared support for Hoffman).
An article in The Politico
stated that the White House had made a concerted effort to persuade Scozzafava to endorse Bill Owens, dispatching Long Island
Congressman Steve Israel
, New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
, and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo
to lobby her to endorse Owens. At the meeting, Scozzafava reportedly told Cuomo that he would be "the next governor of New York
." According to the Watertown Daily Times, New York's senior U.S. Senator, Democrat Chuck Schumer, was also among those who lobbied Scozzafava for an endorsement of Owens.
During Scozzafava's November 1, 2009 meeting with Sheldon Silver
, Silver reportedly pledged that the Democrats would fully support Scozzafava should she decide to leave the GOP. The Independence Party, the top minor party in the New York, also actively courted Scozzafava. Scozzafava told WWNY-TV
in Watertown on the day after the election that she would remain a Republican for the time being. However, Scozzafava also let it be known that she felt betrayed by the national GOP for its quick endorsement of Hoffman following her exit from the race.
After Scozzafava's unsuccessful 2009 congressional campaign, Scozzafava acknowledged that her name had begun being used as a verb: "scozzafavaed." Commentator Chris Goode described the term as follows: "The gist, basically, is that if you're a moderate Republican and the conservative wing of the GOP sets out to get you, and does, you got Scozzafavaed." Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage
has used the term in a similar fashion: "We welcome everyone’s right to participate in the democratic process, but...[if] you try to elect pro-gay marriage Republicans, we will Dede Scozzafava them." Also, conservative commentators, including Maggie Gallagher
, have used the phrase "the Dede effect" to describe Republican lawmakers' fear of alienating their constituents by voting for same-sex marriage legislation.
A week after the 2009 election, Scozzafava was stripped of her Republican leadership position in the State Assembly.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She represented District 122 in the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, which includes most of St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence County, New York
St. Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 111,944. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the Catholic saint on whose Feast day the river was discovered by...
and Lewis Counties
Lewis County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,944 people, 10,040 households, and 7,309 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile . There were 15,134 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
in the North Country
North Country, New York
The North Country is a region of the U.S. state of New York that encompasses the state's extreme northern frontier, bordering Lake Ontario on the west, the Saint Lawrence River and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec on the north and northwest, and Lake Champlain and Vermont on the east...
and a small portion of Oswego County
Oswego County, New York
Oswego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 Census, the estimated population was 122,109. The City of Oswego and the Village of Pulaski serve as the dual county seats in a two shire system of government...
from 1999 to 2011.
She was the Republican nominee to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2009 special election in , but suspended her campaign shortly before the election and threw her support to the eventual Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
winner, Bill Owens.
Scozzafava announced that she would not run for re-election to the State Assembly in the 2010 election cycle and endorsed the Democratic nominee Brian McGrath. McGrath, however, lost the election and Scozzafava was succeeded by Republican Ken Blankenbush.
Life and career
Scozzafava was born in BuffaloBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, but has resided for most of her life in Gouverneur
Gouverneur (village), New York
Gouverneur is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 4,263 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Gouverneur Morris, one of the authors of the Constitution of the United States, as well as a prominent landowner and part-time resident of the area.The...
, a small village located halfway between Canton
Canton (village), New York
Canton is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The village is centrally located in both the town of Canton and the county of St. Lawrence. The population was 5,882 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of St. Lawrence County...
and Watertown. She holds a B.S. degree from the Boston University School of Management
Boston University School of Management
The Boston University School of Management is the business school at Boston University in Boston. Founded in 1913 as the College of Business Administration, the school offers undergraduate and graduate programs....
, as well as an M.B.A. from the Clarkson University
Clarkson University
-The Clarkson School:The Clarkson School, a special division of Clarkson University, was founded in 1978 as a unique educational opportunity. The School offers students an early entrance opportunity into college, replacing the typical senior year of high school with a year of college...
Graduate School of Management.
First elected to the New York State Assembly in 1998, Scozzafava was the ranking Republican on the Codes Committee, as well as a member of the Education and Local Government committees. For the 2001-2002, session she served on the Standing Committees on Economic Development, Education, and Social Services. Scozzafava was also the first-ever female Minority Leader Pro Tempore in the history of the State Assembly. Prior to her election to the Assembly, she served as a member of the Gouverneur Board of Trustees from 1989 to 1993 and was Mayor of Gouverneur from 1993 to 1998.
A liberal Republican, Scozzafava supports abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage in the United States
The federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage in the United States, but such marriages are recognized by some individual states. The lack of federal recognition was codified in 1996 by the Defense of Marriage Act, before Massachusetts became the first state to grant marriage licenses...
. She also has strong ties to organized labor, something which is not common for most Republicans. In agreement with most Republicans, Scozzafava is against cap-and-trade and is in favor of maintaining the Bush tax cuts
Bush tax cuts
The Bush tax cuts refers to changes to the United States tax code passed during the presidency of George W. Bush and extended during the presidency of Barack Obama that generally lowered tax rates and revised the code specifying taxation in the United States...
.
Scozzafava opposes gun control and has a lifetime "A" rating from the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
.
Scozzafava considered running in a special election for the 48th state senate district, which includes most of the northwestern portion of her former assembly district, in 2008. However, area Republicans chose Assemblyman William Barclay
William Barclay (politician)
William A. "Will" Barclay is a Republican member of the New York State Assembly representing the 124th Assembly District, which includes Oswego, New York and portions of Onondaga and Oswego counties....
, in part because they thought Scozzafava would be seen as too socially liberal. Barclay lost the election to Democratic Assemblyman Darrel Aubertine
Darrel Aubertine
Darrel J. Aubertine was a member of the New York State Senate for the 48th district, which covers Central New York and the North Country region counties of Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence in New York State. He is a registered Democrat and represented the district in the state Senate from...
, and some Republican operatives said that in hindsight they should have picked Scozzafava.
According to Scozzafava's filed campaign reports, her husband and other family members have been the largest donors to her campaigns. Scozzafava's ties to Seaway Capital Partners (a firm which owes nearly $200,000 in back taxes and which is run by her brother) were questioned in connection with her 2009 run for Congress. She responded that she had had no direct ties to the company since 2007.
In April 2010, Scozzafava announced that she would not run for re-election to the New York State Assembly in November 2010. While Scozzafava endorsed Democrat Brian McGrath to fill her seat in New York's 122nd Assembly District, McGrath was defeated by Republican Ken Blankenbush
Ken Blankenbush
Kenneth D. "Ken" Blankenbush is an American politician and a Republican member of the New York State Assembly.He succeeded former Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, a liberal Republican who retired. Blankenbush is a longtime resident of Black River...
.
In January 2011, Scozzafava was appointed New York Deputy Secretary of State for Local Government by Democratic Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.
2009 special election
On July 22, 2009, Scozzafava was chosen by the eleven Republican Party county chairs located in the 23rd Congressional districtNew York's 23rd congressional district
The 23rd Congressional District of New York is New York's northernmost congressional district for the United States House of Representatives. The district includes all or parts of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties. It...
to be the Republican nominee for the special election
New York's 23rd congressional district special election, 2009
The 2009 special election for New York's 23rd congressional district was held on November 3, 2009, to select the successor to Republican John M. McHugh...
to fill the seat in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
vacated by John M. McHugh
John M. McHugh
John Michael McHugh is the 21st United States Secretary of the Army and a former Republican politician from the state of New York, formerly representing the state's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.On June 2, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated him to...
, who resigned September 21, 2009, upon taking office as the Secretary of the Army
United States Secretary of the Army
The Secretary of the Army is a civilian official within the Department of Defense of the United States of America with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and...
.
Conservatives had criticized Scozzafava for accepting the endorsement of the Working Families Party
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party is a minor political party in the United States founded in New York in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, but there is as yet no national WFP...
in her earlier assembly campaigns, noting the close ties between that party and liberal activist group ACORN
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now was a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocated for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues...
. Many notable Republicans, including former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
of Minnesota and former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson, endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman
Doug Hoffman
Douglas L. "Doug" Hoffman is an American businessman, accountant and former congressional candidate. He was the Conservative Party candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2009 special election for New York's 23rd congressional district. On November 3, 2009, he was defeated by...
rather than the Republican candidate because they deemed Scozzafava insufficiently conservative and ideologically indistinguishable from the Democrat. To illustrate this point, the Hoffman campaign ran television advertisements depicting Scozzafava and Owens as "two peas in a liberal pod."
Scozzafava voted for same-sex marriage in the New York State Assembly, and she had also received an award from a Planned Parenthood affiliate in 2008. Scozzafava's political positions included support for "card check" legislation, support for federal funding for abortion, support for President Obama's 2009 stimulus package, and a refusal to rule out support for health care reform that includes a "public option."
In the campaign for the U.S. House seat, Scozzafava received endorsements from Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
, Congressman Peter T King, the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
(NRA), the Log Cabin Republicans
Log Cabin Republicans
The Log Cabin Republicans is an organization that works within the Republican Party to advocate equal rights for all Americans, including gays and lesbians in the United States with state chapters and a national office in Washington, D.C...
, and the New York State United Teachers
New York State United Teachers
New York State United Teachers is a 600,000-member New York state teachers union, affiliated since 2006 with the American Federation of Teachers , the AFL-CIO, and the National Education Association...
(NYSUT), the largest labor union in New York State. Liberal Democratic blogger Markos Moulitsas, of the Daily Kos
Daily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
blog wrote a column in which he said he was rooting for Scozzafava.
During the campaign, Scozzafava received negative attention after her husband made a nuisance complaint to police against a member of the media that some alleged to be false. Scozzafava also held a press conference outside one of Doug Hoffman's campaign offices in which Hoffman's campaign staff and volunteers created "a sea of red 'Hoffman Congress' signs for the television cameras as Ms. Scozzafava spoke."
On October 31, 2009, with poll numbers indicating that she was likely to lose in the three-way race with Conservative Party of New York
Conservative Party of New York
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....
candidate Doug Hoffman
Doug Hoffman
Douglas L. "Doug" Hoffman is an American businessman, accountant and former congressional candidate. He was the Conservative Party candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2009 special election for New York's 23rd congressional district. On November 3, 2009, he was defeated by...
and Democratic candidate Bill Owens and insufficient funds and other campaign support to overcome the gap, Scozzafava ended her campaign and released her supporters to "transfer their support as they [saw] fit.”
Scozzafava also expressed frustration at how the race had become nationalized.
The following day, Scozzafava threw her support to Democrat Owens, calling him "an independent voice who will put New York first." This action put Scozzafava at odds with the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
, which had backed Scozzafava prior to her withdrawal (but had subsequently declared support for Hoffman).
An article in The Politico
The Politico
The Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
stated that the White House had made a concerted effort to persuade Scozzafava to endorse Bill Owens, dispatching Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
Congressman Steve Israel
Steve Israel
Steve J. Israel is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located on Long Island and includes the towns of Huntington, Babylon, Islip, and Smithtown in Suffolk County, part of the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, and the...
, New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
Sheldon Silver
Sheldon "Shelly" Silver is an American lawyer and Democratic politician from New York. He has held the office of Speaker of the New York State Assembly since 1994.- Personal life :...
, and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
to lobby her to endorse Owens. At the meeting, Scozzafava reportedly told Cuomo that he would be "the next governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
." According to the Watertown Daily Times, New York's senior U.S. Senator, Democrat Chuck Schumer, was also among those who lobbied Scozzafava for an endorsement of Owens.
During Scozzafava's November 1, 2009 meeting with Sheldon Silver
Sheldon Silver
Sheldon "Shelly" Silver is an American lawyer and Democratic politician from New York. He has held the office of Speaker of the New York State Assembly since 1994.- Personal life :...
, Silver reportedly pledged that the Democrats would fully support Scozzafava should she decide to leave the GOP. The Independence Party, the top minor party in the New York, also actively courted Scozzafava. Scozzafava told WWNY-TV
WWNY-TV
WWNY-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Upstate New York's North Country region, licensed to Carthage. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter along State Street/NY 126 in Wilna's Carthage section. The station can also be seen on Time Warner...
in Watertown on the day after the election that she would remain a Republican for the time being. However, Scozzafava also let it be known that she felt betrayed by the national GOP for its quick endorsement of Hoffman following her exit from the race.
After Scozzafava's unsuccessful 2009 congressional campaign, Scozzafava acknowledged that her name had begun being used as a verb: "scozzafavaed." Commentator Chris Goode described the term as follows: "The gist, basically, is that if you're a moderate Republican and the conservative wing of the GOP sets out to get you, and does, you got Scozzafavaed." Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage
National Organization for Marriage
The National Organization for Marriage is a nonprofit political association established in 2007 to work against legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, specifically to pass California Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage in California...
has used the term in a similar fashion: "We welcome everyone’s right to participate in the democratic process, but...[if] you try to elect pro-gay marriage Republicans, we will Dede Scozzafava them." Also, conservative commentators, including Maggie Gallagher
Maggie Gallagher
Margaret Gallagher Srivastav , better known by her working name Maggie Gallagher, is an American writer, commentator, and opponent of same-sex marriage. She has written a syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate since 1995, and has published five books...
, have used the phrase "the Dede effect" to describe Republican lawmakers' fear of alienating their constituents by voting for same-sex marriage legislation.
A week after the 2009 election, Scozzafava was stripped of her Republican leadership position in the State Assembly.
External links
- Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava's official website
- Scozzafava's congressional campaign site
- Follow the Money - Dierdre K. Scozzafava: 2008 2006 2004 2002 2000 1998 campaign contributions