Hoffman 'reconcedes' in N.Y. House race

Conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman "reconceded" in New York's special House election.

Hoffman "unconceded" earlier this month after a report showed Rep. Bill Owens's (D-N.Y.) margin of victory was smaller than previously thought.

"Since the morning of Nov. 4, many of my supporters have asked me to challenge the outcome of this race," Hoffman said in a statement. "Their concerns centered on the veracity of the new voting machines used, for the first time, in the majority of the 11 counties that make up the congressional district. Over the past three weeks, we nearly cut Bill Owens’s lead in half. Sadly, that is not enough."

Hoffman conceded on election night, Nov. 3, after returns showed him trailing by 5,335 votes. But the count narrowed after recanvassing and counting of absentee ballots. Hoffman came within 2,951 votes of Owens. The conservative was mathematically eliminated last Thursday after Owens reclaimed a lead of 3,105 votes, with 3,072 absentee ballots left to be counted.

Hoffman said he would continue to remain active in politics.

"I plan to stay active in politics and in the weeks and months ahead hope to be able to personally thank all those who made this race so close and exciting," he said.

The special election to replace former Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) garnered national attention after Hoffman posed a serious challenge from the right to Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava. Conservatives claimed that Scozzafava's support for abortion rights, gay marriage and card-check legislation made her too liberal for a GOP candidate.

McHugh stepped down to become Army secretary.

Many Republicans also criticized the nominating process that resulted in Scozzafava's selection. A handful of party commissioners selected Scozzafava over Hoffman in a closed-door meeting instead of holding a primary contest.

Some conservative leaders in the Republican National Committee (RNC) have proposed a resolution that would implement a conservative "purity test" for GOP candidates, a move influenced by Scozzafava's nomination.