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CENTRAL SQUARE - Leaders of the New York State Conservative Party - typically the ally of the state Republican Party - blasted the expected GOP candidate for the 23rd Congressional District seat Friday and asked the national GOP committee to intervene.

Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava is "the Bernie Madoff of New York politics" who is running a scam on the Republicans, state Conservative Party Chairman Michael R. Long said while introducing Douglas L. Hoffman, the candidate the Conservatives are backing for the congressional seat. While Scozzafava is an enrolled Republican, she is far more liberal than many Democrats and closer philosophically to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver than to her North Country constituents, Long said.

Because of their concerns about Scozzafava, Conservative leaders from the district have written to Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, asking that the national GOP committee look into the process by which Scozzafava was chosen.

"Rather than select a candidate that truly represented solid Republican and Conservative views and values, both fiscally and ideologically, the 11 county Republican committees have chosen a candidate because her name is the most recognized, and she may have an easier time getting elected," said the letter, which was signed by six county chairs and three regional vice-chairs. "They have chosen the 'most likely,' rather than 'most principled.' They have overlooked the questions of where this might lead the party and its platform.

"We would urge you to look into this process used to vet the candidates in the 23rd District. If the Republican Party truly wants to engage its most conservative base and get back to the strong, consolidated platform that will regain national influence, it would do well to do so at this grassroots level," the letter concluded.

Scozzafava received the backing of the GOP chairs from the 11 counties in the district after a process in which nine contenders for the endorsement - including Hoffman - met with committee members in four different locations in the district to introduce themselves and answer questions about their experience and policy positions.

Hoffman said he decided to seek the Conservative Party endorsement because he was unhappy with the Scozzafava selection. "The voters of this district deserve more than just a choice between a liberal Nancy Pelosi Democrat or a career big-spending Albany politician," he said. But he stopped short of calling Scozzafava a political Madoff, declining to comment when he was asked if he shared Long's view of his likely GOP opponent.

Hoffman did say he intends to run a positive campaign and that pointing out philosophical differences between himself and his opponents was an appropriate campaign tactic.

"It's important that the voters understand who the candidates are what they stand for," he said.

Officials from the national Republican committee could not be reached by telephone Friday afternoon and did not respond to e-mails seeking comment. Scozzafava also could not be reached for comment Friday evening.