Hoffman 'Unconcedes' in NY-23

Win follows GOP moderate, conservative split

(NEWSER) - Retired Air Force Capt. Bill Owens has pulled off a major upset for the Democratic Party and won the closely watched election in New York state's 23rd congressional district. Owens was ahead of Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman 49% to 45% with 92% of precincts reporting, according to AP . Moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava received 6% of the vote despite withdrawing from the race over the weekend under pressure from the party's right wing. More»

Righties are now a 'wacky, paranoid cult eager to eat' their own

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck are the undisputed standard-bearers for true conservatives, and they've just led a suicidal attack in upstate New York in what's become "a riotous and bloody national GOP civil war." For Frank Rich , there's only one sure outcome: 'Republicans are the sure losers" in a battle that proves "how swiftly the right has devolved into a wacky, paranoid cult that is as eager to eat its own as it is to destroy Obama. More»

Conservative gets a boost, but maybe not a very big one

(NEWSER) - Republican Dede Scozzafava's surprise decision to suspend her congressional race in New York leaves Conservative Doug Hoffman to battle Democrat Dan Owens. Here's what the political blogosphere is saying:

• Nate Silver , FiveThirtyEight: "Gun to my head? Sure, I'd take Hoffman at this point." But it's not that cut and dried: Most conservative Republicans had already defected to Hoffman, so the gain may not be that big.

It's all over, finally, in the upstate congressional race

(NEWSER) - Doug Hoffman conceded the New York congressional election to Democrat Bill Owens yet again today. The Conservative Party candidate said he won't challenge the results, despite the urging of supporters. With the absentee ballots counted, "the results re-affirm the fact that Bill Owens won,” Hoffman said. The muted wording is a contrast to previous statements in which he blamed ACORN and labor unions for voter fraud, notes Politico . More»

Not enough ballots remain for him to overcome margin

(NEWSER) - It looks like the NY-23 race is over, again. With 3,072 absentee ballots left to be counted, conservative Doug Hoffman can't catch Democrat Bill Owens, who leads by 3,176 votes. State officials haven't called the race and won't until it's formally wrapped up, but the Watertown Daily Times says it's a mathematical certainty now. Owens already has been sworn into office, though Hoffman "unconceded" when the race tightened. More»