Doug Hoffman
Encyclopedia
Douglas L. "Doug" Hoffman (born 1953) is an American businessman, accountant and former congressional candidate. He was the Conservative Party
candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2009 special election for New York's 23rd congressional district
. On November 3, 2009, he was defeated by Democratic candidate Bill Owens. Hoffman ran for the same seat in Congress in 2010, but lost the Republican primary and withdrew his candidacy. Hoffman's 2009 campaign received extensive support from the Tea Party movement and gained national attention.
, New York
, the second of four children. He graduated from Saranac Lake High School
, attended North Country Community College
, then SUNY Canton. In 1973, he received his B.S.
in accounting from SUNY Plattsburgh. Following graduation, Hoffman attended the University of Connecticut
as a part-time student and earned a Master of Business Administration
degree in 1976. He became a Certified Public Accountant
(CPA) in 1977.
During the Vietnam war
, Hoffman served in the New York National Guard (1970–73) and was a staff sergeant in the United States Army Reserve
(1973–76).
, Connecticut
. In 1977, the couple moved to Lake Placid
, New York
,. They have three children, Ashleah, Douglas, and Taylor, and four grandchildren. Doug and Carol reside in Saranac Lake, New York.
Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1980 Winter Olympics
. He stated that he held costs down and that the resulting deficit ultimately created jobs and infrastructure that 30 years later were still driving area's economy.
Hoffman is currently the managing partner of the Dragon Benware Crowley & Co., P.C. accounting firm, assisting small businesses and individuals with tax and other financial planning. In addition, he oversees the Hoffman Family Enterprises which include the accounting firm, a firm to assist other firms with financial planning, mergers and acquisitions, a used car dealership, and a home builder.
already campaigning for the 23rd congressional district special election of 2009, on August 7, 2009, the Conservative Party of New York
opted to nominate Hoffman to run on the Conservative Party ticket.
The race drew significant national attention because of Hoffman's Tea Party affiliation and because of the large amount of support Hoffman received from the national conservative
base, despite Hoffman's status as a third-party candidate. During the campaign, Hoffman was interviewed by Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Fiscal and social conservative groups backed Hoffman's candidacy, including the Club for Growth
, the Susan B. Anthony List
, the National Organization for Marriage
, Concerned Women for America PAC, Citizens of the Republic, the American Conservative Union
, Eagle Forum
, and Family Research Council
PAC. Many notable Republicans, including former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin
, Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty
of Minnesota and former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson, endorsed Hoffman rather than the Republican candidate because they deemed Scozzafava insufficiently conservative and ideologically indistinguishable from the Democrat. To illustrate this point, the Hoffman campaign ran television advertisements depicting Scozzafava and Owens as "two peas in a liberal pod."
After an October 31 poll showed Scozzafava trailing both Hoffman and Owens by 15% and 16% respectively, with her poll numbers collapsing, Scozzafava suspended her campaign on October 31 and endorsed the Democrat Bill Owens.
On Election Day, Bill Owens prevailed over Hoffman by a margin of 48.3% to 46%.
One commentator stated that "Hoffman's third-party candidacy is striking for how much it has galvanized the Republican Party's base." According to Marilyn Musgrave
of Susan B. Anthony List
, "Republican party leaders in Washington should take the message of the campaign and the election seriously, that the Party base should not be taken for granted."
Hoffman's campaign staff was criticized by Upstate New York Tea Party Chairman Mark Barie, who contended that Hoffman's senior campaign advisor "ran this campaign from his office in Arizona, and he was clearly ignorant of what was happening on the ground here in the North Country."
Hoffman supports:
Hoffman opposes:
Conservative Party of New York
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....
candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2009 special election for New York's 23rd congressional district
New York's 23rd congressional district special election, 2009
The 2009 special election for New York's 23rd congressional district was held on November 3, 2009, to select the successor to Republican John M. McHugh...
. On November 3, 2009, he was defeated by Democratic candidate Bill Owens. Hoffman ran for the same seat in Congress in 2010, but lost the Republican primary and withdrew his candidacy. Hoffman's 2009 campaign received extensive support from the Tea Party movement and gained national attention.
Personal life
Hoffman grew up in Saranac LakeSaranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the second of four children. He graduated from Saranac Lake High School
Saranac Lake High School
Saranac Lake High School is located in the village of Saranac Lake, New York, USA. There are approximately 640 students in grades 9 through 12. It is administered by the Saranac Lake Central School District. The school is housed in a building, completed in 1968. The school colors are red and...
, attended North Country Community College
North Country Community College
North Country Community College, founded in 1967, is a community college of the State University of New York located in Upstate New York. The main campus is in Saranac Lake, New York, and serves Franklin and Essex Counties; enrollment is approximately 2300 students. It employs 143 permanent and 300...
, then SUNY Canton. In 1973, he received his B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in accounting from SUNY Plattsburgh. Following graduation, Hoffman attended the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
as a part-time student and earned a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
degree in 1976. He became a Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
(CPA) in 1977.
During the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Hoffman served in the New York National Guard (1970–73) and was a staff sergeant in the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
(1973–76).
Family
Hoffman married Carol Torrance in 1973 and moved to HartfordHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. In 1977, the couple moved to Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
,. They have three children, Ashleah, Douglas, and Taylor, and four grandchildren. Doug and Carol reside in Saranac Lake, New York.
Business career
Hoffman served as controller for the Lake PlacidLake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1980 Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
. He stated that he held costs down and that the resulting deficit ultimately created jobs and infrastructure that 30 years later were still driving area's economy.
Hoffman is currently the managing partner of the Dragon Benware Crowley & Co., P.C. accounting firm, assisting small businesses and individuals with tax and other financial planning. In addition, he oversees the Hoffman Family Enterprises which include the accounting firm, a firm to assist other firms with financial planning, mergers and acquisitions, a used car dealership, and a home builder.
2009 U.S. Congressional campaign
With the Democratic candidate Bill Owens and Republican Dierdre ScozzafavaDierdre Scozzafava
Dierdre R. "Dede" Scozzafava is an American Republican politician in New York. She represented District 122 in the New York State Assembly, which includes most of St. Lawrence and Lewis Counties in the North Country and a small portion of Oswego County from 1999 to 2011.She was the Republican...
already campaigning for the 23rd congressional district special election of 2009, on August 7, 2009, the Conservative Party of New York
Conservative Party of New York
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....
opted to nominate Hoffman to run on the Conservative Party ticket.
The race drew significant national attention because of Hoffman's Tea Party affiliation and because of the large amount of support Hoffman received from the national conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
base, despite Hoffman's status as a third-party candidate. During the campaign, Hoffman was interviewed by Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Fiscal and social conservative groups backed Hoffman's candidacy, including the Club for Growth
Club for Growth
The Club for Growth is a politically conservative 527 organization active in the United States of America, with an agenda focussed on taxation and other economic issues, and with an affiliated political action committee . The Club advocates lower taxes, limited government, less government spending,...
, the Susan B. Anthony List
Susan B. Anthony List
The Susan B. Anthony List, or simply SBA List, is a 501 non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to eliminate abortion in the U.S. by supporting pro-life politicians, primarily women, through its SBA List Candidate Fund political action committee...
, the National Organization for Marriage
National Organization for Marriage
The National Organization for Marriage is a nonprofit political association established in 2007 to work against legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, specifically to pass California Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage in California...
, Concerned Women for America PAC, Citizens of the Republic, the American Conservative Union
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...
, Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum is a conservative interest group in the United States founded by Phyllis Schlafly in 1972 and is the parent organization that also includes the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund and the Eagle Forum PAC. The Eagle Forum has been primarily focused on social issues; it describes...
, and Family Research Council
Family Research Council
The Family Research Council is a conservative or right-wing Christian group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983...
PAC. Many notable Republicans, including former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
of Minnesota and former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson, endorsed Hoffman rather than the Republican candidate because they deemed Scozzafava insufficiently conservative and ideologically indistinguishable from the Democrat. To illustrate this point, the Hoffman campaign ran television advertisements depicting Scozzafava and Owens as "two peas in a liberal pod."
After an October 31 poll showed Scozzafava trailing both Hoffman and Owens by 15% and 16% respectively, with her poll numbers collapsing, Scozzafava suspended her campaign on October 31 and endorsed the Democrat Bill Owens.
On Election Day, Bill Owens prevailed over Hoffman by a margin of 48.3% to 46%.
One commentator stated that "Hoffman's third-party candidacy is striking for how much it has galvanized the Republican Party's base." According to Marilyn Musgrave
Marilyn Musgrave
Marilyn Neoma Musgrave , American politician, is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives who served from 2003 to 2009, representing the 4th District of Colorado....
of Susan B. Anthony List
Susan B. Anthony List
The Susan B. Anthony List, or simply SBA List, is a 501 non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to eliminate abortion in the U.S. by supporting pro-life politicians, primarily women, through its SBA List Candidate Fund political action committee...
, "Republican party leaders in Washington should take the message of the campaign and the election seriously, that the Party base should not be taken for granted."
2010 U.S. Congressional campaign
Hoffman again ran for the House of Representatives in 2010, but was defeated in the Republican primary for by Matt Doheny, a businessman and lawyer. On September 23, 2010, Hoffman announced that he would continue his campaign for the congressional seat as the Conservative Party candidate. However, on October 5, 2010, Hoffman announced that he was dropping out of the race altogether, although his name remained on the ballot. Bill Owens (D) won re-election by less than 4,000 votes, while Hoffman received 9,592 votes on the Conservative Party line. Hoffman has been referred to as a "spoiler" in the 2010 race.Hoffman's campaign staff was criticized by Upstate New York Tea Party Chairman Mark Barie, who contended that Hoffman's senior campaign advisor "ran this campaign from his office in Arizona, and he was clearly ignorant of what was happening on the ground here in the North Country."
Political positions
During Hoffman's campaign for U.S. Representative, he expressed the following beliefs and positions.Hoffman supports:
- "Don’t ask, don’t tell" as policy on gayGayGay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
s and lesbianLesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
s serving in the military - Second AmendmentSecond Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...
- War against terrorismWar on TerrorismThe War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
- Tort reformTort reformTort reform refers to proposed changes in common law civil justice systems that would reduce tort litigation or damages. Tort actions are civil common law claims first created in the English commonwealth system as a non-legislative means for compensating wrongs and harm done by one party to...
- Flat taxFlat taxA flat tax is a tax system with a constant marginal tax rate. Typically the term flat tax is applied in the context of an individual or corporate income that will be taxed at one marginal rate...
He believes that current tax provisions encourage corruption.
Hoffman opposes:
- AbortionAbortionAbortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
- Same-sex marriageSame-sex marriageSame-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
- Deficit spendingDeficit spendingDeficit spending is the amount by which a government, private company, or individual's spending exceeds income over a particular period of time, also called simply "deficit," or "budget deficit," the opposite of budget surplus....
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
- Public optionPublic health insurance optionThe public health insurance option is a proposed government-run health insurance agency which competes with other health insurance companies. It is not the same as Publicly-funded health care. Called the public insurance option or public option, for short, it was a proposed health insurance plan...
for health care reformHealth care reform in the United StatesHealth care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and... - Employee Free Choice ActEmployee Free Choice ActThe Employee Free Choice Act was a legislative bill that was introduced into both chambers of the U.S. Congress on March 10, 2009. The bill's purpose was to,...
- Emissions trading legislationEmissions tradingEmissions trading is a market-based approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants....
External links
- Doug Hoffman for Congress official campaign site
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org