Doug Hoffman declares run for Congress in 2010

Rep. Bill Owens should know that he’s got a target painted on his back.

Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate who failed to win the 23rd Congressional District’s special election this November, will seek to win the seat back in November 2010.

Just as major press outlets are getting caught up with Hoffman’s statement that he won’t seek a recount of the special election vote, and writing jokey headlines about how he is conceding a second time, Hoffman is looking forward, and his campaign sent around an e-mail that sketches out his plans.

Interestingly, Hoffman thanks the Conservative Party, and does not come right out and say that he will seek the Republican Party’s nomination. Instead, he knocks them as “an entrenched political system” that he defied. The e-mail, posted in full now on his website (which, thankfully, has pulled down all the shameful electoral fraud allegations), makes it clear that he’s getting ready to take NY-23 back from Rep. Owens with or without the GOP. With his reference to a third-party candidate competing on principles, it shows that if the GOP says no, Hoffman will play the spoiler again:

And rest assured, our energies are now directed toward 2010. This election, in which a third party candidate narrowly lost, showed that principles do matter. Special interests do have an Achilles’ heel, the American people. Main-street conservatism’s voice is now echoing through the government chambers and boardrooms that shape America. By most measures, this campaign was a success and I have you all to thank for this. And all of us have to thank the Conservative Party of New York State for nominating a candidacy like ours.

We take away lessons from this year’s campaign that will make us stronger and more competitive in the future. Next time we will be better prepared. Many people forget that our campaign only began in earnest three months ago. Most campaigns of this stature take at least a year to prepare. In three months, we almost toppled an entrenched political system and successfully defied the conventional thinking of the elite political punditry. Citizen government is making a comeback in America.

I thank everyone who participated in this campaign and urge each one of you to stand with me in the future. We have a calling that we must answer. My opponent in this race quickly abandoned the promises he made to his voters. Within the first hour of being sworn in by Nancy Pelosi, Bill Owens broke 4 campaign promises — so much for change in Washington. We must resoundingly defeat him next year and, with your help, I promise to help restore our nation’s faith in elected officials when we win.

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So where to now? Full speed ahead to 2010. This gives us time to carefully articulate and communicate thoughtful positions on issues that impact the great people of our district and ensure that our campaign promises are NOT broken. Best of all, it allows me to work hand-in-hand with the many supporters who shared their ideas, their concerns and their dreams with me.

We need to continue to stand united because we cannot spend our way out of recession or tax our way to prosperity. We must continue to fight to protect our liberties and protect those who are yet to be born. We must protect our country against terrorists and protect the sanctity of marriage. We must fix our corrupt tax code, our immigration policy and our educational system. Most of all, we must defend the free enterprise system that made America the greatest and most prosperous country in the world. Although I’m conceding an election today, I do it with the certainty that we will win back this seat a year from now. I am certain of this because our mission is too big, the country’s problems too dire and the American people are too smart.