You can now view Calendars of Events for today and upcoming weeks? A complete and up-to-date list of local events is now available on every section of PressRepublican.com.
ALBANY — Conservative Party candidate Douglas Hoffman has withdrawn his concession in a close special election for a U.S. House seat, and New York officials have begun counting paper ballots.
Hoffman's opponent, Democrat William Owens of Plattsburgh, was sworn in after he was declared the winner of the Nov. 3 election. Hoffman said on Glenn Beck's national radio show Monday that he's "unconceding" the race.
The latest state Board of Elections results showed Owens ahead by 3,026 votes, not counting more than 7,400 absentee and military ballots. Counts on those and other paper ballots was beginning Tuesday.
In early counts from the four of 11 counties that have reported — Fulton, Hamilton, Madison and Oneida — Hoffman gained a net 214 votes over Owens, although he remains behind overall.
Hoffman spokesman Rob Ryan said there's a chance the results could be changed, but he conceded it's "a long shot."
He noted that Hoffman worked on the 1980 Winter Olympics, when the U.S. "Miracle on Ice" team stunned the Soviet team at Lake Placid and won the gold medal.
"We believe in miracles up here," Ryan said.
Owens "is looking forward, not backward, and will keep his focus on the needs of the 23rd Congressional District," said Jon Boughtin, a spokesman for Owens.
The counties have 15 days after the election to complete recanvassing, the mandatory postelection count of paper ballots to ensure the voting machines recorded everything accurately and to correct any incorrect counts. The counties don't have to forward the results to the state until Nov. 28, and it could be the end of the month before a final count is certified.
If the count overturns the election, Owens could be removed from office.
The campaign exposed a schism in the Republican Party. National figures, including former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, backed Hoffman over the GOP nominee, Dierdre Scozzafava. She suspended her campaign just before the election and threw her support behind Owens.
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
