GOP Rep. Mike Lawler vowed Monday to request a federal racketeering probe against New York over Albany Democrats’ plot to keep an Empire State congressional seat open – and hobble the Republican majority.
Lawler joined a growing chorus of high-profile Republicans who condemned Dems for considering changing state election laws to keep the deep-red upstate District 21 seat held by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) open well after her expected resignation.
“I am going to be requesting that the Department of Justice open up a RICO investigation into New York State, because this is as corrupt a state as we have seen,” Lawler said.
“Gov. Hochul and other top Democrats are willing accomplices in this delay scheme because they know the seat will be filled by another Republican. We will continue to hold these politicians accountable and challenge their corrupt plan so that hardworking families across Upstate New York and the North Country get the representation they deserve, and House Republicans can deliver on our America-First mandate.”
The rage is unusual from the usually mild-mannered Johnson, who holds a precarious position as a speaker with a razor-thin (218-215) and fractious House majority.
“It’s time for New Yorkers to fight back, to push back against the insanity and no matter how much the Democrats try to corrupt the system, no matter how much these folks who tell us that they want to protect and preserve democracy, in fact want to undermine it at every turn so they can keep power.”
Albany Dems met last week to mull changing the state’s election law to delay special elections — including potential pending races such as Stefanik’s — until the June primaries, or even November’s general election.
Stefanik is likely to become President Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations and could resign within days.
A delay in filling her seat would leave Republicans with an even slimmer majority and more opportunities for rambunctious representatives to play havoc with Trump’s nascent agenda.
Stefanik’s conservative upstate district is all but certain to elect another Republican in a special election if and when she steps down.
The current law calls for Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare a special election within 10 days of Stefanik’s resignation.
The special election itself must take place 80 to 90 days after that declaration.
Democrats themselves recently benefited from the short election timetable after lying GOP Rep. George Santos was expelled from his Long Island and Queens seat.
Veteran pol Tom Suozzi, who previously held the seat, prevailed over Republican Mazi Pilip in a special election last February, flipping the district back to the Dems.
The Dems’ talks of changing the election law enraged Republicans beyond Lawler.
The usually mild-mannered House Speaker Mike Johnson, who presides with a razor-thin (218-215) and fractious House majority, pledged to “challenge” the plot in a blistering statement exclusively obtained by The Post.
“Instead of working to address high costs, taxes, or fees, the illegal immigration crisis, crime, antisemitism on college campuses, or other priorities — New York Democrats are instead working feverishly to silence the voices and needs of more than 750,000 citizens in New York’s 21st Congressional District,” Johnson seethed. “In an open display of political corruption, they are aiming to change the election rules to add a long delay in filling the NY-21 seat.
“Gov. Hochul and other top Democrats are willing accomplices in this delay scheme because they know the seat will be filled by another Republican. We will continue to hold these politicians accountable and challenge their corrupt plan so that hardworking families across Upstate New York and the North Country get the representation they deserve, and House Republicans can deliver on our America-First mandate.”
Hochul, when quizzed Monday by reporters on her fellow Democrats’ plans, said she’ll look at what Albany Dems hatch.
She noted that she was elected to Congress in a 2011 special election, and argued that more needed to be done to increase voter turnout in such contests.
“You can always count on one thing, and that is Republicans will scream loudly if there’s ever an effort to bring voter access to more people,” she said. “They just don’t like it.”
Hochul said some states keep congressional seats open for 669 days. She said the Empire State’s compact timeline “doesn’t make sense either.”
“What a very short timeframe does is it favors people who are already elected officials versus a citizen who wants to run, because there’s a lot involved in this,” she said.
While a special election to fill the expected vacancy of Stefanik from her north country seat is the more high-profile race in the mix, Democrats are also eyeing an expected vacancy for state Senator Simcha Felder’s (D-Brooklyn) district.
Felder is the last serving member of the now-defunct Independent Democratic Conference, a group of Dems who caucused with Republicans until 2018.
The seat presents a pickup opportunity for Republicans, but it would be harder for the GOP to win if the special election coincides with a citywide Democratic primary.
Lawler called on Albany Democrats to buck any bill that might arise.
“The 150 members of the Assembly, 63 members of the Senate, my Democratic colleagues that are in the majority need to grow a spine and push back against the absurdity of their leadership trying to seize control from the people,” he said. “Let the voters decide who they want to represent them.”
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