The chairman of the House Democrats campaign operation on Wednesday conceded defeat in his own reelection bid, making him the first in his position in 40 years to lose reelection in a general election.
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who leads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, acknowledged his loss in a call to Republican Mike Lawler, who will be the next congressman representing New York’s 17th District in the Hudson Valley.
“I spoke to my opponent Michael Lawler and congratulated him on a good win,” Mr. Maloney said. “I don’t like to lose, but my opponent won this race and he won it fair and square. And that means something. So I’m going to step aside.”
Mr. Maloney also highlighted Democrats’ stronger-than-expected night, calling Nov. 8 a “signature date” in political history.
Dan Conston, president of the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC connected with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy that backed Mr. Lawler, described the win as “one of the biggest upsets of the cycle.”
“Democrats thought we were bluffing, but we knew all along that Mike had what it took to win. Sean Patrick Maloney’s hubris got the best of him and we are proud to have played a decisive role in this victory,” Mr. Conston said.
With 95% of votes counted, Mr. Lawler led Mr. Maloney 51% to 49%.
The last time a sitting House campaign chairman lost reelection was in 1992 when National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Guy Vander Jagt lost his primary. A sitting chair hasn’t lost a general election since 1980 when Democratic Rep. Jim Corman was defeated in California.
Mr. Maloney found himself in a tougher reelection race after New York’s redistricting fight did not go the Democrats’ way in the courts and their gerrymandered map was thrown out.
Following a redistricting battle in the state, Mr. Maloney left his old 18th Congressional District to run in the 17th District, where his Putnam County residence is located.
Mr. Maloney’s relocation caused a brief skirmish among Democrats, as Rep. Mondaire Jones, a first-term and member of the Progressive Caucus, represented the 17th. He was forced to run a failed primary bid in the 10th District.
Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman noted Mr. Maloney was new to more voters in his new district.
“The new 17th CD would’ve voted Biden +10 in 2020, a few points bluer than Maloney‘s current Biden +5 18th CD to the north,” he wrote. “But it also includes plenty of constituencies totally new to Maloney, limiting the benefits of his incumbency.”
Although Mr. Maloney has outraised Mr. Lawler $4.7 million to $919,000 this campaign cycle, the GOP’s super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, and the National Republican Congressional Committee have outspent Democratic organizations $3.5 million to $384,000 on this race.
Mr. Lawler caught GOP leadership’s eye back in July when he was first added to the “On the Radar” slate of candidates, the first rung of the GOP’s Young Guns fundraising program.
He ran on an anti-crime and wallet campaign, similar to Republicans across New York and the country.
In recent weeks, analysts shifted the race from “lean Democrat” to a “toss-up.”
The Maloney camp said they always considered the race to be competitive and attacked Mr. Lawler as an “anti-choice extremist.”
Mr. Lawler’s campaign went after Mr. Maloney for his support of his party’s cashless bail law in New York that critics said put criminals back on the streets.
• Mica Soellner contributed to this story.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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