New York Democrats, who control the state legislature, have killed a bill that would have delayed a special election in a deep red congressional district.
New York Republicans and GOP leadership in Washington were incensed by the bill when Democrats in the New York state Senate and Assembly met two weeks ago to discuss a rules change that could keep the 21st Congressional District, currently filled by Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, empty until at least June.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, decided to hold back the special election bill as she’s negotiating the status of congestion pricing with President Trump, Politico reported.
The change in the status of the legislation is being used as a bargaining chip during those discussions between Mr. Trump and Ms. Hochul.
Mr. Trump chose Ms. Stefanik to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and she is expected to be confirmed by the Senate easily.
However, her departure from Congress, when combined with National Security Adviser Mike Waltz’s exit, would leave House Republicans with such a slim majority that no GOP lawmaker can oppose any bill in the face of united Democratic opposition.
Special elections will have to be held to fill out their respective seats, and New York’s liberal lawmakers were in no hurry to conduct an election in a safe Republican district and give the House GOP more breathing room.
On Monday, though, the bill failed to get voted out of committee.
“The bill to delay the special election for the 21st Congressional District is no longer moving forward,” Republican Assembly Leader Will Barclay said.
“It was a terrible piece of legislation in policy and principle. Thanks to strong pushback from Republican legislators and North Country residents, the bill has been halted,” he said.
Six New York congressional Republican lawmakers, led by Reps. Mike Lawler and Nick Langworthy, sent a letter last week to Democrats in New York’s state legislature they would call on the U.S. Department of Justice to determine whether the legislation violated federal law.
The letter said that Ms. Stefanik could be confirmed “as early as this week,” which would leave residents of New York’s 21st Congressional District without representation in the House until the seat is filled.
According to current New York state law, the governor must schedule a special election within 90 days of a declared congressional vacancy.
However, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, promptly established a special election date for April to fill Mr. Waltz’s seat, Ms. Hochul never made any pronouncements about her state.
Both districts lean strongly Republican.
The bill, drafted by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, both Democrats, would have let the governor delay a special election to the November general election date.
The proposal was sold as an effort to save financial resources and to provide more time to set up the special election race.
The New York congressional lawmakers didn’t see it that way.
“Your clear attempt at playing political games to limit Republican numbers in the House of Representatives is overreaching, corrupt, and undemocratic,” they wrote.
“We demand you cease any and all such attempts to change this law, and in preparation of this conspiratory, corrupt act that clearly threatens the constitutional rights of American citizens, we will also be alerting the Department of Justice,” wrote the federal lawmakers, who also included Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, Nick LaLota, Andrew Garbarino and Claudia Tenney.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, echoed their sentiments during an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” calling the move “open political corruption by state officials in New York.”
“They’re going to try to disenfranchise over 750,000 New Yorkers who live in that 21st District. It’s unconscionable,” he said.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.