5 Things to Watch in NY-23 Race

With late polls inconclusive, Josh Kraushaar of Politico runs down five things to watch in the NY-23 congressional race as returns filter in:

• Dede Scozzafava's supporters: The big question is whether independent-minded GOP voters will go to her endorsed candidate, Democrat Bill Owens, or Conservative Doug Hoffman. Results from her stronghold of Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties will tell the tale.
• Syracuse region: This is neutral turf, and Hoffman needs "a decisive victory" here if he hopes to win.

• Democrats' "ground game:" This has long been a Republican seat, so Democrats' get-out-the-vote efforts are largely untested.
• The weather: It's North Country, after all. Cold rain could affect turnout.
• Hoffman's vote total: If he wins big after battling both the GOP establishment and the Obama administration, it's a sign "the conservative base is far more geared up to vote than its Democratic counterpart."

(More Doug Hoffman stories.)