Three-Way in NY's 23rd (Update)

Among partisans of the Republican and Democratic Parties it is virtual dogma that third party and independent activism is at best superfluous and at worst counter-productive. This conventional wisdom is slowly being upended in New York. The last time I checked in on the special election taking shape in New York's 23rd CD, I noted the irony of Republican ideologue Eric Erickson's endorsement of Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, (Ideology Trumps Ideology). Hoffman continues to garner the support of otherwise dogmatically duopolist conservative publications. Last week, Hoffman was profiled in a commentary for the Washington Times, and is featured in an article for the current issue of the Weekly Standard, which notes that "New York's 23rd could elect a conservative. But the GOP hasn't nominated one." At Daily Kos, Kos himself writes: "you know an election is fucked when the Republican appears to be the most palatable option." The pressure is surely building on Republican Party leaders, both locally and nationally, to drop their nominee, Dede Scozzafava, in favor of Hoffman. If they do not, it will certainly be interesting to see whether the Republican and Democrat split the liberal vote or whether the Republican and Conservative split the conservative vote. This one could go any way.