Dems Take Over N.Y. House Seat

In a bright spot in an otherwise grim Election Day for Democrats, the New York 23rd Congressional District flipped from red to blue on Tuesday. After conservative third-party challenger Doug Hoffman forced Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava out of the race, Democrat Bill Owens was able to win by a slim margin. (Despite dropping out on Halloween, Scozzafava still managed to pick up 5 percent of the vote). Hoffman had been a darling of conservative commentators and picked up endorsements from Sarah Palin and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. But in one small town, at least, they were no match for the backing of the local newspaper. The Hoffman-supporting mayor of Watertown lamented, “We lost. The Scozzafava endorsement, the [Watertown Daily Times] endorsement of Owens—I mean, they roughed Hoffman up. It’s over.”