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Doug Hoffman

For the American racing driver, see Doug Hoffman (racing driver).

Douglas L. Hoffman (born 1953) is an American businessman, accountant and former congressional candidate. He was the Conservative Party candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2009 special election for New York's 23rd congressional district. On November 3, 2009, he was narrowly defeated by Democratic candidate Bill Owens. Hoffman ran for the same seat in Congress in 2010, but lost the Republican primary and withdrew his candidacy.

Doug Hoffman
Born1953 (age 70–71)
Saranac Lake, New York, U.S.
Alma materSUNY, Plattsburgh (B.S.)
University of Connecticut (M.B.A.)
Occupation(s)C.P.A., tax and financial planning
Political partyConservative Party of New York

Hoffman's 2009 campaign received extensive support from the Tea Party movement[1] and gained national attention because of his success in drawing grassroots support away from Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava, who dropped out of the race before Election Day.

Early life and business career

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Born in Connecticut, Hoffman is the second of four children of Rita Anderson and Eugene J. Hoffman. Hoffman's parents divorced during his early life, leaving the family in poverty. He grew up in Saranac Lake, New York, and graduated from Saranac Lake High School. In 1973, he received a bachelor's degree in accounting from SUNY Plattsburgh. Hoffman married Carol Torrance in 1973 and moved to Hartford, Connecticut; the Hoffmans have three children: Ashleah, Douglas, and Taylor.[2] During the Vietnam War, Hoffman served in the New York National Guard (1970–73) and was a staff sergeant in the United States Army Reserve (1973–76).[2][3] Following his college graduation, Hoffman earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Connecticut in 1976 and was accredited as a certified public accountant (CPA). In 1977, Hoffman and his family moved back to the North Country.[2]

Hoffman served as controller for the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1980 Winter Olympics. Hoffman stated that the 1980 Olympics created jobs and infrastructure that were still driving the area's economy 30 years later.[4]

At the time of his 2009 congressional campaign, Hoffman served as managing partner at Dragon Benware Crowley & Co. In addition, he helped to lead Hoffman Family Enterprises, "a group of 13 companies ranging from investment and real estate firms to hospitality and tourism ventures".[2] Hoffman and his wife resided in Lake Placid.[5][6][7]

Political campaigns

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2009 congressional campaign

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Main article: 2009 New York's 23rd congressional district special election

After Republican Rep. John McHugh resigned from Congress to serve as Secretary of the Army, the Republican Party chose New York State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava as its candidate in the ensuing special election to fill the vacated seat. Hoffman had also sought the Republican nod, and after Scozzafava was chosen, he congratulated her and initially offered his help.[8] On August 7, 2009, the Conservative Party of New York opted to nominate Hoffman for Congress after three other potential candidates said they would support him,[9] despite the fact that Hoffman did not live in the district.[10] The Conservative Party declined to support Scozzafava, who was described by Party Chairman Michael R. Long as a "nice lady who is too liberal".[9][11] The Democratic Party chose Bill Owens as its candidate.[12]

The race attracted attention across the country because of Hoffman's Tea Party affiliation[13] and because of the large amount of support Hoffman received from the national conservative base[14] despite Hoffman's status as a third-party candidate. Hoffman described himself as a "Reagan conservative,"[15] expressing opposition to same-sex marriage,[16] Obamacare, budget deficits, and abortion and support for the war on terror.[15] During the campaign, Hoffman was interviewed by Glenn Beck[17] and Sean Hannity.[18] Many notable Republicans, including former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, endorsed Hoffman because they deemed Scozzafava insufficiently conservative and ideologically indistinguishable from the Democrat.[19][20] To illustrate this point, the Hoffman campaign ran television advertisements depicting Scozzafava and Owens as "two peas in a liberal pod."[21] In October, The Atlantic described Hoffman as "the next (unlikely) conservative superstar". Hoffman received support from the Club for Growth, RedState, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, and columnist Michelle Malkin.[22]

After an October 31 poll showed Scozzafava trailing both Hoffman and Owens by 15% and 16% respectively, with her poll numbers collapsing, Scozzafava suspended her campaign on October 31 and endorsed Owens.[23][24]

On Election Day, Owens prevailed over Hoffman.[25] While Hoffman initially conceded the race, an initial re-canvass resulted in a Hoffman gain of approximately 2,000 votes.[26] Hoffman withdrew his concession on November 17, 2009[27] and later accused the Democratic Party and others of ballot tampering. Jerry O. Eaton, Jefferson County Republican elections commissioner, called Hoffman's assertion "absolutely false".[28] With the tallying of absentee-ballots near completion, on November 20, 2009, Owens' lead over Hoffman surpassed the total number of absentee ballots left, making it mathematically impossible for Hoffman to win.[29] On November 24, Hoffman ended his campaign.[30] The final election results showed that Owens prevailed by a margin of 48% to 46%.[31]

The election was alternately described as "a referendum on President Barack Obama" and "a fight over the identity of the Republican Party."[32][33] The race was also noteworthy due to the Tea Party movement influence on its outcome,[34][35] and for its impact on same-sex marriage legislation in New York.[36][37][38] One commentator stated that Hoffman's third-party candidacy was "striking for how much it has galvanized the Republican Party's base."[39] According to Marilyn Musgrave of Susan B. Anthony List, "Republican party leaders in Washington should take the message of the campaign and the election seriously, that the Party base should not be taken for granted."[40]

2010 congressional campaign

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See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 23

Hoffman again ran for the House of Representatives in 2010, but was defeated in the Republican primary for New York's 23rd congressional district by Matt Doheny, a businessman and lawyer.[41] On September 23, 2010, Hoffman announced that he would continue his campaign for the congressional seat as the Conservative Party candidate.[42] However, on October 5, 2010, Hoffman announced that he was dropping out of the race altogether,[43] although his name remained on the ballot.[44] Bill Owens (D) won re-election by less than 4,000 votes, while Hoffman received 9,592 votes on the Conservative Party line.[45][46] Hoffman has been referred to as a "spoiler" in the 2010 race.[47]

References

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  1. ^ Keck, Kristi (February 3, 2010). "Fractures emerge as Tea Party convenes". CNN. Archived from the original on October 11, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Hoffman Recalls Growing Up Poor". Watertown Daily Times.
  3. ^ Brown, Nathan (October 16, 2009). "Hoffman fears a bankrupt nation". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
  4. ^ Seymour, Jude (September 6, 2009). "Hoffman held purse strings for 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid". Watertown Daily Times. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
  5. ^ Weiner, Mark (October 12, 2009). "Meet the 23rd Congressional District candidates: Doug Hoffman". syracuse.com.
  6. ^ Peters, Jeremy W. (November 3, 2009). "House Race in New Yorks's 23rd District Goes to the Democrat". The New York Times.
  7. ^ "HOFFMAN THROWS IN TOWEL". Watertown Daily Times.
  8. ^ "Hoffman was for Scozzafava before he was against her". Watertown Daily Times.
  9. ^ a b Conzola, E.J. (August 7, 2009). "Conservative Party will run Hoffman for Congress". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Retrieved October 24, 2009.
  10. ^ Ambinder, Marc (November 4, 2009). "What Doug Hoffman's Loss Means to Conservatives". CBS News.
  11. ^ "New York Trading Down". Human Events. August 4, 2009. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  12. ^ "Meet Bill Owens, a DCCC-Approved Non-Democrat for the House". The New York Observer. August 11, 2009.
  13. ^ Raice, Shayndi (June 18, 2010). "Battle for GOP Ballot Slots". The Wall Street Journal.
  14. ^ Weiner, Mark (February 21, 2010). "Conservative chorus at national conference: Aren't you Doug Hoffman?". syracuse.com.
  15. ^ a b Kenyon, Jim (October 20, 2009). "Hoffman runs for Congress as a Reagan conservative". WSTM.
  16. ^ syracuse.com (October 12, 2009). "Meet the 23rd Congressional District candidates: Doug Hoffman". syracuse.com.
  17. ^ "Why Doug Hoffman is Running for Office". Fox News. October 27, 2009.
  18. ^ "Interview with House Candidate Doug Hoffman – RealClearPolitics". www.realclearpolitics.com.
  19. ^ Palin: "there is no real difference between the Democrat and the Republican in this race." "Palin: Ready to shake things up in New York". Reuters. October 22, 2009. Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  20. ^ Hook, Janet (November 3, 2009). "Conservatives emboldened by moves in New York". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
  21. ^ Trussell, Donna. "Down the Stretch: Three-Way Race Heats Up in New York Special Election". Politicsdaily.com. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  22. ^ Ambinder, Marc (October 21, 2009). "Doug Hoffmann: The Next (Unlikely) Conservative Superstar". The Atlantic.
  23. ^ Seymour, Jude (October 31, 2009). "Scozzafava suspends campaign". Watertown Daily Times. Archived from the original on November 2, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
  24. ^ Madore, James T. (October 31, 2009). "Under pressure, GOP assemblywoman suspends campaign". Newsday. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  25. ^ "Special election results certified". Watertown Daily Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  26. ^ Seymour, Jude (November 13, 2009). "Vote: Hoffman closes in on Owens". Watertown Daily Times. Watertown, NY. Archived from the original on November 16, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2009. Sean M. Hennessey, Jefferson County Democratic elections commissioner, said poll inspectors in four districts reported Mr. Hoffman had received zero votes after inadvertently reading the wrong line of the poll system's printout.
  27. ^ Rudin, Ken (November 16, 2009). "Hoffman 'Unconcedes' In New York 23; Absentee Count Begins Today : It's All Politics". NPR. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  28. ^ Seymour, Jude (November 19, 2009). "Hoffman: ACORN, unions, Dems tampered with NY-23 election". Watertown Daily Times. Watertown, NY. Archived from the original on November 21, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2009. Mr. Hoffman trails Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, by 2,832 votes after 42.6 percent of absentee ballots districtwide were reported Wednesday.
  29. ^ Jude Seymour (November 20, 2009). "Hoffman lacks votes to catch Owens". Watertown Daily Times. Watertown, NY. Archived from the original on November 23, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2009. As Mr. Owens' victory became certain, the Gouverneur Times alleged Thursday that a computer virus had "tainted" results and "cast doubt on the accuracy of the counts retrieved from any of the machines."
  30. ^ Kiely, Eugene (November 24, 2009). "Doug Hoffman: 'Full speed ahead to 2010'". USA Today.
  31. ^ "Special election results certified". Watertown Daily Times. December 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  32. ^ Hoffman concedes 23rd Congressional race to Owens Archived November 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press, November 4, 2009
  33. ^ Peters, Jeremy W. (November 4, 2009). "Conservative Loses Upstate House Race in Blow to Right". The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  34. ^ "Green grass-roots at University of Nebraska". CNN. May 7, 2004. Archived from the original on October 11, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  35. ^ Jonsson, Patrik (October 31, 2009). "Tea Party Express jubilant as Scozzafava exits in NY-23". CSMonitor.com. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  36. ^ "Gay marriage not likely to come to Senate again soon : Home: The Buffalo News". Archived from the original on December 5, 2009. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  37. ^ Vick, Karl (December 3, 2009). "N.Y. State Senate votes down gay marriage bill by wide margin". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  38. ^ Hakim, Danny (November 6, 2009). "Marriage for Gays on Agenda in New York". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  39. ^ Republicans work to defeat one of their own – National – NewsObserver.com Archived October 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  40. ^ Tomasic, John (November 4, 2009). "Musgrave to GOP: 'Don't just assume we're yours'". The Colorado Independent.
  41. ^ "Hoffman Loses To Doheny In Primary". Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  42. ^ "Hoffman Staying In NY-23 On Row D". Archived from the original on September 27, 2010.
  43. ^ "Hoffman denies acting as 'spoiler'". Watertown Daily Times.
  44. ^ "News, Sports, Jobs – Adirondack Daily Enterprise".
  45. ^ "House Results Map". The New York Times.
  46. ^ Hoffman out of Congress race Archived October 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Nathan Brown, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, October 5, 2010
  47. ^ "Owens retains his 23rd Congressional seat by a comfortable margin; Hoffman spoiler for GOP – NorthCountryNow". northcountrynow.com.
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