New York Lawmakers Moving To Deny House Gop A Key Vote

ALBANY, New York — New York Democrats are poised to delay until November the special election to fill Rep. Elise Stefanik’s House seat — a move that would deny House Republicans a crucial vote in the closely divided chamber.

State lawmakers on Friday introduced a bill that would allow Gov. Kathy Hochul to schedule special elections under some circumstances until the November general election. The Democratic-led Legislature is expected to approve the bill Monday, touching off a bitter feud with New York Republicans in a hyper partisan era. President Donald Trump tapped Stefanik to become the United Nations ambassador.

Top Albany Democrats are framing the proposal — which follows consultations between state lawmakers and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ office — as a way to save money for local governments. Republicans decried the measure as an attempt to deny a rural, deep red House district representation in Washington and called for a RICO investigation of Democratic lawmakers.

Hochul did not comment on the legislation after its introduction, but recently spoke favorably about the idea.

"I'll tell you what a very short time frame does: It favors people who are already elected officials versus a citizen who wants to run because there's a lot involved in this," the Democratic governor said. "So you’re actually denying more opportunities for people to run who don’t already hold elected office."

Jeffries’ office did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

The district, which extends to the Canadian border from the Albany region, has been represented by Stefanik for the last decade.

She remains in office as her nomination is yet to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. If she were to resign her seat now, the special election to fill the vacancy would likely be held in the spring. Local Republicans haven’t selected a candidate to run, but whomever the party picks would be considered a heavy favorite.

Democrats this week announced Blake Gendebien, a dairy farmer, would run for the seat.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said the legislation protects “democratic participation while ensuring the government remains fiscally responsible.”

“Right now, New Yorkers are facing unprecedented challenges including the strain on our democracy and our high cost of living,” she said. “At a time when people need our government to work more efficiently, this legislation is a common-sense approach that saves taxpayer dollars while maximizing voter turnout.”

Republicans, meanwhile, blasted the potential of Stefanik’s district going without representation for an extended period of time and called for a federal investigation into the matter.

“These shameless Albany politicians can’t win on their disastrous policies like sky-high crime, out-of-control taxes, or an illegal migrant crisis they created, so they’re resorting to using Albany swamp tactics,” Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt said. “The Senate Republicans are prepared to join any effort with the Trump administration to bring the hammer down on the brazen corruption in Albany.”

Rep. Richard Hudson, the chair of the House GOP’s campaign arm, blasted the move.

“New York Democrats anti-democracy plot to disenfranchise over 700,000 voters in New York is disgusting partisanship and cannot stand,” he said. “The voters deserve to have a voice in Congress as soon as possible, any delay is a pure power grab by Kathy Hochul and Hakeem Jeffries to silence working families across Upstate New York.”