He played spoiler in 2009 and 2010, but now Doug Hoffman is swinging his support for Republican Congressional candidate Matt Doheny.

In a statement released today, the Conservative Party’s candidate in 2010 now says Doheny, a busniessman from Watertown, is best suited to take on incumbent Democratic Rep. Bill Owens.

“The future of our country is too important to remain silent,” Hoffman said in a statement. “Bill Owens is mortgaging my children’s and grandchildren’s future and he must be stopped. And Matt Doheny is exactly the type of guy who can stop him and bring a little fiscal sanity back to Congress.”

Hoffman not being in the race this time around is seen as an important leg up for Doheny, who narrowly lost his first bid to unseat Owens two years ago.

The race is being had in the redrawn NY-21, a district that encompasses the North Country and GOP-friendly North Country, making it the most Republican district in the seat by nearly all estimates.

Owens, first elected in 2009 in a special election, has twice had the benefit of Hoffman running on a third-party line, effectively splitting the GOP and conservative vote.