I grew up in that area & much of my family is still there. This is not a part of NY that most people even realize exists. It’s mainly very small towns and farms, at least in the area I come from. It’s rural, although there are some small cities included in the district.
My mother (Madison county) was very enthusiastic about Hoffman and I’m sure she’s really upset this morning. IMHO, the returns are still pretty good overall - just not good enough. Remember that he entered the race quite late, and the GOP ran ads against him. Given that, as well as the robots who simply pull the lever for their party, I think it sends a very strong message that he finished with as much of the vote as he did.
There was genuine grassroots excitement about him up there. My mother reported that, once lawn signs became available, they sprung up all around town, seemingly overnight. One story she told, from about a week ago: she was driving down the road, pretty early in the morning. At a 4-corners about a mile outside of town (yes, this is rural territory), she came upon a stretch of road which was lined with Hoffman signs. Right at the 4-corners was a group of people, holding up more signs for passing cars - despite the cold, the rain & the early hour (they were probably doing this before heading to work).
Moral of the story - while that district may be turning more moderate in some spots, there are some very staunch conservatives up there. They really did try to bring about a Hoffman win, and I’m sure they’re feeling pretty down right now. But 2010 is right around the corner & hopefully the GOP learned a lesson from this.
I understand, my moms side of the family if from the Schoharie area. Same type of mix.