The ringing endorsement that Republican candidate for Congress Bill Hudak announced he received from Sen.-elect Scott Brown fell a bit flat yesterday.
"Neither Scott Brown or anyone connected with his campaign approved that press release before its release or the quote that was attributed to Scott," said Brown's spokesman, Felix Browne, in a statement.
Hudak, who's running against Democratic incumbent John Tierney in November, announced the endorsement one day after Brown, the underdog Republican, defeated Democrat Martha Coakley for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Ted Kennedy.
"Bill was with us from the beginning and is the representative the people of the 6th District need. Bill is not beholden to special interests and will help me bring the voice of the people to Washington," Brown was quoted saying in the press release Hudak issued Wednesday.
Though Browne praised Hudak, he never used the word endorsement.
"Bill Hudak has been working hard as a candidate for Congress," Browne said. "Right now, Scott Brown is focused on the job that people elected him to do. That's his No. 1 priority."
Asked in a follow-up e-mail whether Brown endorsed Hudak, the spokesman did not respond. The Boxford Republican, however, stood by the purported endorsement.
If it looks like Brown's camp is putting a little distance between it and Hudak, a 2008 political act by the Boxford Republican may be partly to blame.
Shortly before President Obama was elected, Hudak placed politically charged signs in his yard, likening the president to Osama bin Laden.
A news article about the signs referred to Hudak questioning the president's citizenship.
Yesterday, he said the story had been taken out of context. References to it, especially now with Brown's endorsement, were simply partisan politics.
"The Democrats look at everything they can to take tactical advantage," Hudak said.
The Republican said Brown had no knowledge of the story.
"To bring that up in this context is very clearly politically motivated," he said.
Hudak said he and Brown had a private conversation about the recently elected senator's backing.
"There's no question that he gave me his endorsement," said Hudak.
Hudak said he was told he could announce the endorsement after Tuesday's election.
"Scott is a man of very great integrity," he said. "I trust him implicitly."
Hudak did say he had not seen the release announcing Brown's endorsement before it reached reporters' hands.
Nevertheless, Hudak supported the content.
"I trust my campaign staff to do what they need to do," he said.
The endorsement had come, in part, because Brown had full access to the Danvers campaign and received Hudak's full support from the beginning, the Boxford resident said.
"Scott and I are really close," Hudak said. "We worked very hard. There's no secret about that."
Regarding the November 2008 article, Hudak said he does believe the president is a U.S. citizen.
"There's no basis that I've been able to find" that calls Obama's citizenship into question, he said. "No matter what people think, he is the president of the United States. You don't get to that level without being fully vetted."
Hudak said he has clarified his stance, but it continues to be repeated, wrongfully, in the press. It's "not even an issue."
"It's regrettable that that issue in my campaign put our great new senator in a compromising situation," the candidate said. "There's absolutely no basis for that."
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