“For more than a century, this part of New York state has been represented by a member of Congress who attended to the practical concerns and real needs of the region and its people,” it said. “Neither ideologues nor hard-line partisans, they understood their district, how Washington works and how that knowledge could be used to benefit Northern New Yorkers.”

The paper also slammed Hoffman for living outside the district and having inferior command of local issues.

“When asked a series of questions about the district last week, Mr. Hoffman drew blanks in several areas. We cannot wait for Mr. Hoffman, who has been co-opted by the right-wing national politicians, to do his homework,” it said.