Most observers believe that Republicans will form a narrow House majority following the results of last week’s midterm elections.
Yet what few predicted is that the GOP’s margin of victory may come from New York state, where at least 10 Republican congressional candidates are expected to be elected.
High-profile Democratic congressman ousted by Republican challenger
That’s according to the New York Post, which reported this past Wednesday that the GOP will likely hold 10 of the Empire State’s 26 seats. Currently, 7 of New York state’s House representatives are Republicans.
“New York is the state that provided the Republicans the House gavel,” the Post quoted Suffolk County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Garcia as saying.
Garcia also praised his party’s gubernatorial candidate for having boosted voter turnout, saying, “Those House victories are a direct result of the coattails that Lee Zeldin provided.”
One notable flip came in the state’s 17th Congressional District, where Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney was defeated by Republican challenger Mike Lawler.
Maloney, who also serves as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, was first elected to Congress in 2012.
“One-party rule is not working — we need to restore balance and common sense at every level of government,” Fox 5 quoted Lawler as saying in his victory speech.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claims state party “was gutted” under Cuomo
Finger-pointing has already begun among Democrats following the election results, with far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez complaining in a series of tweets last week that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo “gutted” the New York state party.
NYS Dem party leadership, which was gutted under Cuomo, stuffed with lobbyists, works to boost GOP, and failed to pass a basic state ballot measure to protect NY redistricting, must be accountable.
I called for Jay Jacob’s resignation a year ago and I still hold that position. https://t.co/WM6BJUw4do
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 9, 2022
What’s more, she also called on state Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs to step down, citing an incident from last year in which Jacobs compared endorsing Democratic Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton, an African American woman, to supporting a hypothetical run by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.