If you've heard it once, you've heard it 1,000 times: the New York
23rd Congressional District (NY-23) has had a Republican incumbent
since the 1870s. It's a helpful talking point for mainstream media
types bent on portraying the Hoffman loss in the district last night as
evidence of how the Republican mainstream has moved away from
conservatism.
The only trouble with the talking point is it is patently false and the New York Times can prove it. (h/t EyeBlast.tv's Stephen Gutowski)
From the 1990 obituary for one Samuel Stratton: