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New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is struggling to hang on in the battle over the state’s newly drawn 17th Congressional District early Wednesday, Nov. 9.
The five-term Congressman, who has served as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) since 2021, was trailing his Republican opponent, Assemblyman Mike Lawler, by 6.4 percentage points, 51 to 49 percent as of 6 a.m. with 95 percent of the vote counted.
Should Lawler win, Maloney would become the first DCCC chair to lose a re-election bid since Rep. Jim Corman was unseated in California in 1980.
The race in the 17th District, which includes all of Rockland County and portions of central and northwestern Westchester County, appeared to be tilting in Lawler’s favor in the weeks leading up to Election Day, with one poll in mid-October 2022 showing Lawler ahead by six points.
Maloney’s campaign had declined to share its internal polling, but acknowledged in a statement that the race “is and always has been competitive, just like the five others Maloney won previously."
Maloney has decried Lawler as a “MAGA” candidate, criticizing his position on limiting abortion, and has alleged racism and antisemitism following political ads that supported Lawler’s campaign. Lawler has denied the accusations.
In criticizing Maloney, Lawler has tied him to President Joe Biden and New York’s bail reform, which Republicans blame for rising crime in the state.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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