Days after the Republican candidate dropped out of the race, Democrat Bill Owens won the special election for the 23rd Congressional District in upstate New York—a seat that had been held by Republicans since the 19th century. The NY Times called it "a setback for national conservatives who heavily promoted a third candidate in what became an intense debate over the direction of the Republican Party." more ›

With Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava suddenly dropping out of the 23rd Congressional District race in upstate New York yesterday, Election Day will see a battle between Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman and Democrat Bill Owens. But Politico points out that people shouldn't have been shocked, "Over the past decade or so the New York Republican Party has emerged as the political gang that couldn't shoot straight, an operation so inept that it's sometimes hard to believe it exists in the nation's third-largest state," calling her campainn's collapse "an illustration of the utter ruin into which the state party has fallen. In just a few short years, the party's presence in state politics has dwindled to the point of extinction-or irrelevance." more ›

There's no room for moderate views anymore: In the hotly contested and closely watched race for the 23rd Congressional District in upstate NY (because Republican John McHugh was appointed Secretary of the Army), Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava has dropped out. Scozzafava was lacking money and trailing in the polls, partly due to her support of same-sex marriage and abortion rights. Hoffman has been endorsed by Sarah Palin and former governor George Pataki, while President Obama raised money for Democratic candidate Bill Owens. more ›