Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party nominee who lost to Democrat Bill Owens in New York’s special election last week, says he is “seriously considering” another run for the seat.
Hoffman told the conservative Human Events newspaper in a story published Thursday that after losing 49 percent to 47 percent, he is assessing his chances of defeating Owens next year.
Hoffman entered the race amid conservative angst over GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava, who was selected by 11 county chairs and not a primary process.
Scozzafava dropped out of the contest the weekend before Election Day and endorsed Owens, who went on to become the first Democrat to win the upstate seat in over 100 years.
Hoffman insisted that the difference between his loss last week and his expected outcome in 2010 is “that there will be a primary in which the nomination will be made by Republican voters.”
The former Conservative Party nominee credited the tea party movement with providing his campaign “legs” and for showing that “we are a not a ‘fringe’ or ‘crazy’ movement.”
Hoffman also thanked the many national Republicans who endorsed his campaign over Scozzafava’s, as well as the “people who signed on with me before it was cool.”
