In a final Hudson Valley matchup, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, will have to defend a seat Biden won by 10 points.
Mary Altaffer/AP Photo
National Republicans have already booked TV air time in Maloney’s district, relishing the chance to distract the leader of House Democrats’ campaign arm with his own reelection.
In an interview, Maloney said he was confident about winning his primary. Describing his campaign situation as putting him in a “player-coach” role, he said his record of winning tough general election contests was why his colleagues trusted him to lead the DCCC.
“I didn’t win five races as a gay guy in a Trump district by hoping for the best or taking things for granted,” he said. “We’re going to work hard, we assume it will be competitive, but we’re going to win.”
Maloney insisted GOP plans for big New York gains were overblown, especially given the competitive nature of the special election for Delgado’s seat and the uproar over abortion rights.
“The Republicans have been overconfident and cocky. And the whole world has changed in the last two months,” he said, adding: “They have an assumption that there will be a backlash or a wave. But I think they know that’s slipping away every day.”
Democrats do have one strong potential flip target in the state: the redrawn seat of retiring Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.). Republicans have a primary there that will help determine whether or not they can win that seat, which Biden would have won by 8 points in 2020.
Still, Republican outside groups are flush with cash and are determined to spend a chunk of it on offense in New York. That means Democrats could have to devote precious resources to shore up targeted districts that they would rather redirect elsewhere — and likely would have directed elsewhere under Democrats’ original redistricting map.
“New York Democrats overplayed their hand,” said Dan Conston, the president of the Congressional Leadership Fund, the largest House GOP super PAC. “Some of the best pickup opportunities nationwide are in New York and we will be seriously contesting races all over the state in a significant way.”