If he was a true conservative, he should have done his best to remove Hillary from the Senate. After all, his LIBERAL leanings are much more in tune with New York than the country as a whole.
He could have done his country and his state a GREAT SERVICE--by defeating Hillary NOW--in a state that knows him best and more accurately mirrors his liberal values.
I suspect that his values are not that much different than Hillary's; hence, he saw no reason to try to replace her. The status quo in NY was fine with him. And he expects conservatives to support him? Give me a break.
He had prostate cancer.