Doug Hoffman, who created a stir in last year’s special election for the 23rd Congressional District seat in New York, is entering the race again.
Hoffman, who ran on the Conservative Party ticket in displeasure with the views of Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava, announced Monday that he’s seeking the Republican nomination.
Democrat Bill Owens won the race last year.
Hoffman wrote on his web site that encouragement to run from district residents and what he’s seen in his work as a certified public accountant convinced him to enter the campaign.
“The words repeated by client after client were that the tax burdens and government regulations they face are breaking their back and that the direction this nation heading is breaking their spirit,” Hoffman said.
“Their words of despair have filled me with resolve. They made me realize the fight we face is bigger than any one individual. If we do not shift the balance of power in Washington and Albany this year, our chance may be lost.”
Hoffman hopes to unite the Republican, Conservative and Independence Parties in his bid “to defeat the agenda of Nancy Pelosi and Bill Owens.”
The upstate New York district was represented by Republicans for more than a century before last year’s election for the seat that opened up when John McHugh left to become Secretary of the Army.
Local and national Republican leaders united behind Scozzafava, as they thought her moderate views would appeal to centrist Republicans, independents and even some Democrats.
But conservatives objected to Scozzafava's support for the stimulus package and bank bailout, same-sex marriage and abortion. So they backed Hoffman.
Scozzafava abandoned her campaign three days before the election, and endorsed Owens.
“This time we will defeat Bill Owens!” Hoffman wrote on his web site.
He will face at least two other Republican candidates. Before Hoffman’s announcement, non-partisan political strategists Charlie Cook and Stuart Rothenberg tabbed the race as "Lean Democratic," CNN reports.
But National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Tory Mazzola told the network, "All across New York State there is momentum for Republicans, and that includes the North Country."
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.