First, let's get our facts straight. Hoffman did not run in the general. He dropped out and endorsed Doheny. Second, NY law does not allow him to remove his name from the ballot. He was on the Conservative Party line. Not an independent.
Doheny lost by 1800 and Hoffman still got 6000 votes. But you are jumping to conclusions that those Hoffman voters would have gone to Doheny. Polls show otherwise.
If NY is really losing 2 House seats due to the census, one of those seats will be upstate. Unless Louise Slaughter retires (or some younger person), 2 incumbents will be thrown into the same seat. Owens or Slaughter seem to be a likely possibility.
the LOCAL GOPers in NY-23 have been indifferent to defeating Owens ever since summer '09. They know of the redistricting, so they knew their new congressman would be a temp. And they also figure (wrongly) they can get rid of Owens in the future whenever they put their mind to it.
This redistricting is a real puzzling, interesting mess. Owens lives in Plattsburgh, which effects this matter.
