Via the Watertown Daily Times: HOFFMAN THROWS IN TOWEL.
There are still several thousand outstanding absentee ballots to be counted, but the numbers are such that Hoffman would have to win practically all of them to capture the seat, and that is, to put it mildly, highly improbable.
In regards to why this matters in terms of whether Republicans should have preferred a so-called RINO to a Democrat, I would refer you to Chris Lawrence.
I have no idea if exit polling was done in this contest, but I would be curious to know the answer to three questions. First, to what degree did the fact that Hoffman was from outside the district come into play? Second (and along similar lines), was there any voter resentment towards the outside political forces that had been brought to bear on race? Third, to what degree was Scozzafava ultimately a better fit for the district ideologically than was Hoffman? On that last question, the fact that Owens won would tend to indicate that that was, in fact, the case.
At a minimum, the race would appear to demonstrate that it is far more difficult to swoop in from the outside and essentially take over a local electoral contest than many thought that it would be.
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November 4th, 2024 at 10:58 am
Good questions. Another I would have is how much the short duration of the term came into play. Owens has a year until his next election. In a right leaning district, Hoffman, plus incumbancy, could amount to a seat for life. OTOH, Owens can regularly expect a challenge.
November 4th, 2024 at 11:05 am
You raise a legit point in terms of the district: that it the new occupant may not be there for very long.