MILWAUKEE — Republican lawmakers are targeting a handful of battleground states that are prime opportunities to flip in 2024 as part of their efforts to win the White House in November.
But GOP leaders are also homing in on one unlikely target: New York.
New York has long been a Democratic stronghold in presidential elections as a Republican has not won the Empire State since 1984. However, Republicans have pointed to a number of House districts they managed to flip in the 2022 midterm elections that could signal momentum for GOP candidates as they head into November.
“No state picked up more Republican seats than New York state,” House GOP Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) said during a delegate breakfast on Thursday. “We literally delivered the House Republican majority. It runs right through the state of New York.”
After a chaotic redistricting process before the 2022 midterm elections, House Republicans managed to flip four seats, which helped the party seize a slim majority in the lower chamber for the first time in four years.
One of those seats belonged to former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney, who was bested by freshman Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), marking the first time the leader of the DCCC was defeated in four decades.
Now, Republicans are confident in their chances to flip even more House seats in the Empire State to expand their slim majority.
“We made history by ending Nancy Pelosi’s reign as speaker of the House,” Lawler said at the breakfast. “And this is why on Nov. 5, Americans across this country — Republicans, independents, and Democrats — are going to unite to not only grow the House Republican majority but we’re going to flip the Senate and send [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer packing.”
New York Republicans have also suggested that their recent gains in the Empire State could hint toward success for former President Donald Trump, a former New York resident, as he eyes a return to the White House.
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“Whenever I talk to President Trump, which is a lot, he always asks about New York and how his polling is doing in New York,” Stefanik said. “[Trump] has been a believer that Republicans are making inroads in New York. He has been a believer that Republicans can win New York and I share that belief.”
Recent polls show President Joe Biden ahead of Trump in New York, leading the former president by an average of 7.5 percentage points. However, Stefanik cited data that showed Trump performing well in New York swing districts, which she argued could hand him the victory.