When Doug Hoffman wins the special election for NY-23 tomorrow, as he now seems poised to do, much will be written about what that means, and much of that will be meaningless.
What won’t get that much attention is that Hoffman is the candidate of New York’s scrappy Conservative Party, founded in 1962, with the support of William F. Buckley, Jr. Buckley became the Party’s candidate for New York City mayor in 1965, losing as he knew he would, but with great wit and that wonderful twinkle in his eye.
The Party, with its own ballot line, is a political force, for decades under the savvy, never-blinking, steadfastly conservative leadership of Mike Long. Hoffman’s win will be a rare, single line victory, but that diminishes not at all the influence New York’s Conservative Party has been able to wield over politics even in New York’s liberal wilderness, now aided mightily by the Tea Party brigades.
Have a party tomorrow night, Mike. You and a Conservative Party worthy of the name deserve it.
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