The backlash against Scozzafava doesn’t represent a desire to kick out moderates, but a frustration by conservatives that the Republicans would try to put up a candidate so at odds with the goals of a majority of the GOP and try to assert with a straight face that she’d serve their interests in Congress.

Local elections aren't about national issues, but local interests. Democrats are represented by Kucinch and Heath Schuler, who represent local interest, not a national ideology.

Putting labels aside, Scozzafava has won mulitiple terms in the Assembly by large margins and until Monday had a leadership role in the Republican Party. She is known for her service. While Mr. Hoffman was on tv and Mr. Owen was raising money outside the district, Dede was in a dairy barn talking to a constituent. We may not always agree with her all the time, but she is one of us. Many will vote the person rather than ideology or party registration. I suspect that Dede can serve in the Assembly as long as she wishes.

Many district residents are unhappy over the loss of the Republican seat. There was a backlash over the trashing of Scozzafava, and outside money from the Club of Growth and big name national party types trying to tell us what to do and what to think

As for Doug Hoffman, here is a different view:

Btw, when it comes to taking a “stand” on some issues, the choice taken can be more deeply defining than it seems on the surface. Climate change for instance should not be seen as a partisan issue, neither should evolution, mathematics, or microbiology.

If one is going to pick and choose which aspects of reality comfortably fit their belief system, then our education system has failed even more miserably than many folks think it has. (Btw, I hold parents as responsible for education as I do their teachers)