On election night, Conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman conceded the NY-23 special election to his Democrat rival when it appeared he had lost by over 5,000 votes.  However, a recanvassing of the vote shows that, in fact, Democrat Bill Owens is only 3,000 votes ahead, and there are still better than 10,000 absentee ballots left to count.  Yesterday, on the Glenn Beck radio show, he reversed his concession as the district is now back in play.

To be clear, Hoffman still faces an uphill battle.  It’s estimated that he would have to take almost 65% of the absentee votes, most of which were filled out when Republican Dede Scozzafava was still an active candidate.  Still, he has a chance, and even though he calls it “A longshot,” Hoffman is holding out hope.

Should Hoffman come away with the win, Bill Owens (who was sworn in quickly so he could vote for Pelosi’s health care bill) would need to be removed from office.  Don’t expect him to go quietly, however.  His campaign has said it is looking into its options, and has reportedly “lawyered up” in preperation for a possible legal battle. 

In New York, the counting continues, and we’ll keep you posted.

- Robert Laurie