By the time you read this, we’ll likely know if Doug Hoffman won in New York. I hope he does. More than any other issues, this is a fight on two axes: fiscal sanity and careerist politics.

The most telling non-issue-oriented attack against Hoffman is that Hoffman doesn’t live in New York’s 23rd district. The response from Hoffman’s supporters is that he’s surrounded by the district. They’re both right. The gerrymandered outline of NY 23 is a good reason why we need more people like Hoffman and fewer people whose career is “politician”.

I haven’t been able to find an outline of the district in 1977 when Hoffman moved in, so I can’t verify the claim that when he moved into Lake Placid it was in the district. Looking at the map, it wouldn’t be surprising. The claw in the east was already there (although wider) by 1993, which was the earliest map I could find. The claw in the west was torn out of the 23rd for 2003.

Both of the claws connect to what were then Republican-held districts (the 20th and the 24th). Neither of them are represented by Republicans today. Fat lot of good it did them. Maybe instead of trying to game their districts, they should consider holding to the principles that got them elected in the first place.