SARANAC LAKE, NY – Will Doug Hoffman mount another bid for Congress in 2010? Jim Tedisco, the other New York GOPer who lost a special election in neighboring NY-20, is already set for a 2010 rematch with Rep. Scott Murphy (D-N.Y.). And before the polls closed, it was very clear inside Hoffman’s camp that he planned to run in 2010 no matter what happened. But last night’s result was devastating for a man who rose from obscurity to conservative superstardom to spending 72 hours thinking he was about to go to Congress to a solid defeat. Hoffman didn’t make himself available to press after the speech. According to Sandy Caligoire, who drove him home from the hotel, Hoffman barely talked on the ride home.
“He was crushed by this,” said Caligoire. “He needs a few days off.”
Still, it’s pretty clear that conservative activists would get behind another Hoffman bid. Conservative Party leaders feel that the local GOP has learned a lesson from the Scozzafava disaster, and that could smooth a path for Hoffman to win the Republican line in 2010. And just now, Hoffman put out this note on Twitter: