NY-23: This Time, It's For Real
'09 nominee Doug Hoffman (C) conceded NY-23, again, this afternoon. The move comes after a final vote tally showed Rep. Bill Owens (D) winning the 11/3 special election by a 3,583-vote advantage. "The results re-affirm the fact that Bill Owens won," Hoffman wrote in a release. "Over the past three weeks, we nearly cut Bill Owens' lead in half. Sadly, that is not enough. The shift in support since election night highlights one fact; the Boards of Elections, both state and county, need to work closely to ensure the seamless use of these machines in the 2010 statewide and midterm elections."
Hoffman originally conceded to Owens on election night, when over 5.3K ballots separated the two candidates. But as the tally was finalized (and mistakes from several counties corrected), Hoffman gradually gained on Owens, although never enough to truly put Owens lead in jeopardy.
In a letter to supporters just a week ago, Hoffman rescinded his concession, alleging that Dems -- and ACORN -- "stole" the election by "tampering" with ballots. Aides downplayed the statements, though, and Hoffman never followed through with promises to contest the race.
Later in his release, he gave supporters a clue as to his plans of a rematch. "I plan to stay active in politics and in the weeks and months ahead hope to be able to personally thank all those who made this race so close and exciting," he wrote.
(TIM SAHD)
hope hoffman will win in 2010
We worked hard on his campaign and met a great group of people. Looking forward to another great campaign.