New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the Democrat in charge of preserving his party’s House majority, conceded defeat Wednesday morning to Republican challenger Mike Lawler.
New York’s 17th Congressional District is a +10.1% Joe Biden seat.
Lawler led Maloney 50.6% to 49.4% with 98% reporting.
It’s a shocking loss for Democrats, considering the party poured millions into the race.
FLIP ALERT: Michael Lawler (R) defeats Sean Patrick Maloney (D-inc) in New York's 17th Congressional District
⦿ This seat is flipped from 🔵➡️🔴
⦿ NY-17 is Biden +10.1% seat pic.twitter.com/3N19NJd40U— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) November 9, 2022
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney just conceded — a shocking defeat for the chair of the House Democrats’ campaign arm. https://t.co/4QJcMA0fVt pic.twitter.com/UtjMnl1PWi
— POLITICO (@politico) November 9, 2022
Just the News reported:
The loss for Maloney, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is a tough defeat for Democrats, considering they lost a top member in a new but solid-Democrat district after pouring millions into the race.
Earlier this year, after New York’s redrawn House district lines were finally settled, Maloney announced he would run in the state’s 17th Congressional District, in the lower Hudson Valley, drawing criticism from the party’s left.
Joe Biden would have won the district by 10 points had it been created before he ran for president in 2020, according to CNN.
Republicans reportedly spent roughly $1.4 million to oust Maloney, compared to the roughly $2.3 million Democrats spent to get him reelected.
The majority of the money did not arrive until the closing weeks of the race.
Democrat super PACs and similar groups poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the final two weeks of the race, in a last-minute attempt to win, according to NBC News.
Politico added:
Maloney appeared at the DCCC headquarters in Washington on Wednesday to brief reporters flanked by his husband Randy Florke. Growing emotional when discussing his partnership with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and his aides, he praised Democratic Party leadership and his staff at the campaign arm while crediting them with a much closer-than-expected result.
“We resisted the temptation to chase the shiny objects,” said Maloney. “We were disciplined and focused. And we did the work.”
The hastily organized press conference came just minutes after Maloney called Lawler to concede the race, and later fielded a call from President Joe Biden.
With dozens of key races still uncalled, he said control of the lower chamber was still in play: “As we sit here, I can’t with 100% certainty tell you who holds the House majority.”
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