I think Hoffman hurt himself badly in his newspaper interview on local issues. I suspect the editorial board was hostile to him (They described him as flustered) but you have to be prepared for things like that. He didn’t do the basics, which mean knowing the local issues. Scozzafava was a traitor but he gave her the opening. What we need next year are good candidates who know the issues. Mcdonnell showed the way for a social conservative be resisting the Washington Post’s efforts to get him off message with outrageous and hysterical attacks. he stuck to the issues.