Rep. Sean Maloney defeated as part of Republican sweep of N.Y. races that pushes GOP to brink of House majority

Republicans flipped four of New York’s Democratic congressional districts in Tuesday’s midterm elections — making the Empire State the country’s most fruitful battleground for the GOP as it seeks to reclaim a majority in the House of Representatives.

The GOP’s most high-profile pickup in New York came in the state’s 17th Congressional District, where Republican challenger Mike Lawler defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.

Maloney, the boss of his party’s House campaign arm, conceded the race for the Hudson Valley district in a Wednesday morning press conference in Washington, D.C.

“He won it fair and square, and that means something, so I’m going to step aside,” said Maloney, who was first elected to Congress in 2012. “I’ve had a good run.”

Lawler’s victory deals a major symbolic blow to House Democrats, given Maloney’s prominent political role in the party. Maloney’s defeat also puts a serious dent in Democrats’ hope to hold on to their razor-thin House majority.

The outgoing congressman, who at one point in his press conference held back tears, acknowledged Republicans could clinch the majority.

“If we fall a little short, we’re going to know that we gave it our all,” he said, noting it could take days before a final outcome is known as a number of races remain outstanding across the country.

Lawler, a freshman member of the state Assembly representing Rockland County, thanked Maloney for being “gracious in defeat.”

“Campaigns are tough and he was a tough, and worthy opponent,” Lawler wrote on Twitter.

Republicans entered Tuesday’s midterms hoping to flip five Democratic seats in New York. That goal was especially significant as the GOP only needs to expand their House ranks by five members nationwide in order to secure majority control of the chamber.

The unusually ripe opportunity for Republican triumphs in deep-blue New York was made possible by this spring’s chaotic redrawing of the state’s congressional map, which pushed several conservative constituencies into previously safe Democratic districts.

To boot, the party that holds the White House tends to suffer losses in midterms, and GOP enthusiasm was fueled this year by President Biden’s low approval ratings, concerns over inflation and other political factors.

Still, Maloney said Democrats beat expectations, as they’re on track to hold their majority in the Senate, while the “red wave” Republicans claimed would wash over the House turned out to be more of a red trickle, with the GOP appearing to at best be able to lock in a slim majority in the lower chamber.

“Last night, House Democrats stood our ground,” Maloney said.

The political portrait that emerged in New York is a different story, though.

Beyond Maloney’s race, a GOP pickup came in New York’s open Third Congressional District, which encompasses a portion of eastern Queens and western Nassau County, where Republican George Santos was dubbed the winner shortly after midnight Tuesday as he held a sizable lead over Democrat George Zimmerman. The seat is currently held by outgoing Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who opted to launch a failed bid for governor instead of running for reelection.

Anthony D’Esposito, the Republican candidate for Long Island’s Fourth Congressional District, was also declared the winner of his district, beating Democrat Laura Gillen. That seat is currently held by retiring Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice.

The fourth GOP flip came in the Catskills-based 19th Congressional District, where Republican candidate Marcus Molinaro defeated Democrat Josh Riley.

No other state in the country was on track to have as many Republican pickups as New York as of Wednesday afternoon.

The only New York prize on the GOP’s list that did not break for them was the 18th District, where incumbent Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan fended off a challenge from Republican Colin Schmitt.

Beyond the Republican upsets, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, New York City’s only GOP member of Congress, drubbed Democrat Max Rose in the race for her Staten Island and southern Brooklyn-spanning district. The only other competitive race in the state, the GOP-held 22nd District in and around Syracuse, was also set to be locked in by Republican candidate Brandon Williams, according to unofficial results.

It was not clear late Wednesday which party will ultimately end up holding majority control of the House, as dozens of races across the U.S. had yet to be called.

In a surprise, Democrat Hilary Scholten flipped a district in west Michigan that has long been held by Republicans, giving her party hope it could retain a House majority.

The Republican Party’s strong New York showing, however, provides the GOP with a significant buffer against Democratic pickups.

As the midterm results sunk in Wednesday, some New York Democrats laid blame on State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs — and called for his ouster.

“Last night’s NY underperformance is a testament to years of prioritizing calcified machine politics and favoring over performance, strategy, and organizing,” progressive New York City Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “To win from here, Jacobs must go and we must re-center the party to better value community leadership and small-d democracy.”