I have been voting in New York state all my adult life, and I campaigned in them even earlier (I sold candy bars for Jim Buckley in 1970).
The contest in NY 23 is what the New York Conservative party was made for. The state’s cross-endorsement policy means that the Conservatives (and its left-of-center mirror images) generally function as pressure groups, supporting major party candidates they like or undermining those they don’t. But sometimes the major party picks a candidate so egregious that the minor party must and can go all out. So it was with James Buckley vs. Charles Goodell in 1970, and with Al D’Amato vs. Jacob Javits in 1980 (early Conservative support helped D’Amato win the GOP primary, leaving Javits to run only on the Liberal line). So it is in NY 23 now. Vote for Doug Hoffman.