Remember the NY-23 congressional race between 3 candidates, a Democrat, a Republican and a conservative, and how up in the air the election was? You know how Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava eventually dropped out and endorsed the Democrat, Bill Owens, while the Republican party machine put its weight behind Doug Hoffman, the Conservative party candidate, yet the Democrats went on to win the seat? Well, maybe (maybe!) the Democrats didn't win.

Owens won by 5,335 votes, but a re-canvassing has dropped that to 3,026 votes and the 10,200 absentee votes have yet to be counted, which were mailed out before Scozzafava withdrew. So there's a possibility that Hoffman could still win, despite having conceded the race on election night.

After Obama tapped Congressman John McHugh to be his Secretary of the Army, Democrats and Republicans turned the election to fill New York's 23rd district into a national referendum for their respective parties. Dierdre Scozzafava, a "a Pro-Choice, Pro-Union & Pro Gay Marriage Republican" became the GOP candidate, while Bill Owens ran for the Democrats.

Then Doug Hoffman decided to join the race and fight "for the heart and soul of the Republican Party" as an independent for the Conservative Party of New York (No official affiliation to the national party). Polls show the race as a dead heat, meaning if Hoffman wins, Republicans get to claim a victory and will definitely move further to the right (Sarah Palin endorsed Hoffman,that's how far right he is) in the 2010 elections.

However, considering that NY-23 is a solidly Republican seat anyway, it's hard to see this as anything but conflict within the Republican party.