Scozzafava: Republicans will remain a minority party if they purge moderates

Republicans are purging themselves of moderates and independent thinkers and risks remaining a minority party indefinitely, said former GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava on Wednesday.

Scozzafava, who was effectively forced out of a special election to fill New York's 23rd congressional district this November, also stressed she planned to remain a Republican, despite taking serious flak from her own party last month about her conservative credentials.

"I don't think it's good for the health of our party — any party that just tries to purge members that might have any sort of independent thinking, I think, eventually will run itself to very much of a minority status," she told MSNBC.

"I think any sort of party has to be willing to solve the problems. And in order to solve problems, you have to look at things sometimes differently. And you do have to drive toward some sort of consensus-building," the state assemblywoman added. "Otherwise, you have ideology that`s really not based on any sort of substance that can move an agenda forward, that can really help people in this country."

The NY-23 race garnered serious national attention even before Scozzafava's departure, but her exit nonetheless illuminated the party's growing ideological divide between centrists and conservatives. The likes of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former presidential candidate Fred Thompson had long backed Hoffman, while much of the party establishment initially — but, in most cases, unenthusiastically — backed Scozzafava.

Ultimately, Scozzafava sagged in polls, due in part to poor performance, while Hoffman began to soar. When she exited, GOPers flocked to the Conservative Party candidate and donated vigorously to give him a last-minute boost, but their efforts were not enough to propel Hoffman to victory over Democrat Bill Owens.

Scozzafava said that disconnect between party elites and her district ultimately prompted her to endorse Owens before the special election. But she repeated on Wednesday the fiasco would not prompt her to leave the GOP, which she said she still represented in philosophy and viewpoint.

"But you know, people had a bigger agenda that they wanted to push," Scozzafava said of her own race, noting that her voting record had been seriously misjudged. "And the only thing I can say is anybody that endorsed the opponent didn't vet my record."