He may be down but Doug Hoffman’s not out in his bid to represent the people of New York’s 23rd congressional district. He announced on his website he will run again next year.

I know many are disappointed and even angry. To those I say now is not the time to look back but to focus on the future and ensure that next year we win back this district decidedly. Know this decision was not an easy one. I did not want to let down those who worked so hard donated so much and shared their enthusiasm for retaking our country with common-sense conservative values.

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.

Good for him. Citizen government is making a comeback but your average citizen isn’t prepared to deal with the media the way professional politicans are. Next year he’ll be much better prepared. And hopefully the Republican Party will have learned a lesson and won’t blow nearly a million dollars trying to defeat the candidate who truly espouses the values of the party. The fact that Bill Owens immediately broke campaign promises shouldn’t hurt either.