House Democrats' campaigns chief loses re-election race in New York - NBC News

New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the caput of House Democrats’ run limb liable for protecting susceptible incumbents successful his party, mislaid his re-election contention to Republican Mike Lawler, NBC News projects.

Maloney conceded the contention successful a telephone telephone to Lawler earlier Wednesday, a spokesperson for Maloney's run said.

More than anything, Maloney’s decision represents a symbolic triumph for the GOP, peculiarly fixed that Democrats appeared to bounds important losses and dodge a "red wave" that galore Republicans had predicted.

Maloney's concession comes aft Democratic ace PACs and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that Maloney leads launched a last-minute rescue mission to effort to prevention him by pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the contention successful the last 2 weeks of the campaign.

Maloney, who had been traveling the state campaigning and raising currency for susceptible colleagues, had to unreserved backmost to his Hudson Valley territory to combat for his ain governmental survival.

But successful the end, Maloney couldn't stave disconnected an avalanche of GOP spending and onslaught ads from Lawler, a authorities assemblyman, which formed the Democrat arsenic anemic connected transgression for his past enactment for ending currency bail for those successful prison.

In a briefing with reporters connected Wednesday, Maloney trumpeted his party’s beardown showing connected Election Day, declaring: “Last night, House Democrats stood our ground.” The results bespeak “there’s inactive a beating bosom to American democracy,” helium said.

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., astatine the Capitol connected Feb. 8, 2022.Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images file

While helium acknowledged he’s an highly competitory person, Maloney said this wasn’t the clip to sulk successful his defeat.

“I don’t similar to lose. But my hostile won this contention and helium won it just and square. And that means something. And truthful I’m gonna measurement aside, and I had a bully tally ...” Maloney told reporters. “Not going to whine astir it. I’m gonna bash this the close way. And the close happening to bash is to accidental the different feline won, to privation him well, and pledge my enactment and that’s what I’m doing.

“And I’m gonna instrumentality pridefulness successful my work and past I’m gonna speech to my household astir what comes next.”

Republicans celebrated the ouster of the Democrats' run chief.

"Mike’s triumph conscionable sent SHOCKWAVES crossed the state arsenic helium FIRED failed DCCC Chair Sean Patrick Maloney!!" GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., tweeted aboriginal Wednesday morning.

At an predetermination nighttime enactment successful Washington overnight, GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy besides piled on: "In New York, we defeated the Democrat run chairman, Sean Patrick Maloney, which volition beryllium the first clip successful implicit 40 years a DCCC seat mislaid his reelection."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi thanked Maloney successful a connection of her ain Wednesday, crediting him with helping House Democrats to transcend expectations Tuesday and calling him "an outstanding person of the DCCC."

“Republicans whitethorn person gained a Pyrrhic triumph with this contention due to the fact that it has intelligibly travel astatine the disbursal of different imaginable Republican wins," Pelosi said.

Maloney’s ouster has larger implications for the House Democratic Caucus: It closes the doorway connected a imaginable bid by Maloney for a 2nd word arsenic DCCC chairman. And it volition reignite a fierce statement among House Democrats astir whether 1 of their susceptible members should beryllium enactment successful complaint of the run operation.

Two years ago, Democrats, successful the location agelong of the campaign, had to walk hundreds of thousands of dollars to support then-DCCC Chair Cheri Bustos of Illinois, different "frontline" subordinate similar Maloney. She survived her contention for re-election but opted to discontinue conscionable months later, ceding her spot successful the Quad Cities to Republicans.

Two California Democrats, Reps. Tony Cardenas and Ami Bera, person antecedently expressed involvement successful moving for DCCC president successful the 2024 cycle. Cardenas narrowly mislaid to Maloney successful the contention for run president 2 years ago, and Bera served arsenic 1 of Maloney's apical lieutenants astatine the DCCC, successful complaint of protecting susceptible incumbents.

Cardenas represents a heavy bluish territory successful Southern California, portion Bera has been targeted by Republicans successful his Sacramento-area district.

Maloney, a erstwhile adjutant successful the Clinton White House, made past successful 2012 arsenic the archetypal openly cheery idiosyncratic elected to Congress from New York.

But helium drew ire from chap Democrats earlier this year, aft New York's redistricting process erstwhile helium decided to tally successful a neighboring district, the 17th, that was somewhat much affable to Democrats than his aged 18th district. That determination forced freshman Rep. Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y., 1 of the archetypal openly cheery Black men successful Congress, to tally successful a territory miles distant successful New York City, wherever Jones failed to triumph his party's primary.

Moments aft Maloney conceded his race, Jones tweeted a azygous word: "Yikes."