Hoffman savors NY-23 rematch
Douglas L. Hoffman rode a strong wave of conservative activism to a second place finish in last fall's special election in the 23rd Congressional District. Now the Lake Placid accountant — and adopted son of the Tea Party movement — is back for a second try, but not without some competition.
Mr. Hoffman formally entered the race for the Republican nomination Monday, telling his supporters in a letter posted to his Web site that he “will defeat Bill Owens” if there's a re-match.
“The months ahead will be filled with hard work because I realize: You don't inherit a nomination, you have to work for it,” the candidate wrote. “I plan to work hard to deserve the nomination of the Republican, Conservative and Independence parties and unite them, as one team, to defeat the agenda of Nancy Pelosi and Bill Owens.”
Mr. Hoffman's fiscally and social conservative positions helped him land early endorsements last fall from Club for Growth, a prominent Washington D.C.-based anti-tax group, and U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson. He leveraged their support to gain national attention from conservative pundits during an off-year for House elections.
As Mr. Hoffman's poll numbers rose, he reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars from conservatives nationwide. Prominent Republicans, from Sarah Palin to former New York Gov. George Pataki, endorsed him and turned away from their party's moderate candidate, Dierdre K. Scozzafava.
Ms. Scozzafava, Gouverneur, was driven out of the race and finished third. Mr. Owens finished two percentage points ahead of Mr. Hoffman in the race to replace Republican John M. McHugh, Pierrepont Manor.
Mr. Hoffman is the first of four potential Republican candidates for the seat this year to officially announce their candidacies.
Watertown businessman Matthew A. Doheny said Tuesday he was “definitely running” and said an official announcement was “just a formality at this point.”
“It's just a matter of putting the ducks in a row,” he said.
Franklin County Legislator Paul A. Maroun said Tuesday that he is interested in the seat, but undecided about whether or not to run.
“The same people that would have committed money to me last time have said they are in for it again,” he said. “I think there's still time.”
Mr. Doheny, Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Maroun all sought the Republican nomination during last fall's special election. The nod went instead to Ms. Scozzafava, a state assemblywoman.
Assemblyman William A. Barclay, R-Pulaski, told supporters in Feb. 26 e-mail that he would reveal his intentions within two weeks. That self-imposed deadline is Friday.
Although Mr. Hoffman is publicly re-starting his campaign, the accountant has been actively working on his second bid since he conceded the first one last November.
Before the election results were certified last fall, Mr. Hoffman alleged “ACORN, the unions and the Democratic Party” had "tampered" with results to deny him victory — and asked supporters to send him money to “ensure every vote is counted.”
Mr. Hoffman, who ran on the Conservative Party line in the special election, dropped his "tampering" claim soon thereafter, but then alleged that the voting machines during the special election had a "virus," a charge denied by the state Board of Elections.
The candidate ultimately decided not to contest the election results after raising funds for a potential legal challenge, but vowed to challenge Mr. Owens again in the fall instead of opposing Rep. M. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls, who is up for election and represents Lake Placid in Congress.
The Republican's second election bid received an early boost when state Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long promised to clear the deck for Mr. Hoffman if he were to run again.
Mr. Hoffman also released a poll he paid for that showed him as the favorite for the Republican nomination, a move criticized by his three would-be opponents. He then received positive receptions last month at both state and national Conservative political action conferences. Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Long shared the Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire award at the national conference “for putting principle over their own interests.”
Mr. Hoffman told the Albany Times-Union that he would be victorious in the Republican primary, a statement that angered Mr. Barclay. The assemblyman asked Mr. Hoffman to pledge that he would not take Mr. Long's offer to run as a Conservative Party candidate — and create a second three-way race for the seat — if he were to lose the Republican primary.
Mr. Hoffman has, so far, declined to sign the pledge.
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Mr. Hoffman will visit Watertown Tuesday to meet with Jefferson County GOP Chairman Donald G.M. Coon III and hold one-on-one interviews with media at the Black River Valley Club between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
