A top House Democrat is conceding to his Republican challenger.
On Wednesday, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D), the chair of the Congressional Campaign Committee conceded the race for the 17th Congressional District to Republican Mike Lawler.
NEWS: Sean Patrick Maloney, the chairman of the DCCC, just called Republican Mike Lawler to concede his Lower Hudson Valley race.
— Nicholas Fandos (@npfandos) November 9, 2022
This is a stinging loss for Democrats, and Maloney in particular, on a night when the party otherwise faired better than expected.
The New York Times notes the last time a campaign chair from either party lost their re-election bid was in the early 1990s.
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), who ran in another district and lost in the primary after Maloney decided to run in the 17th district, appeared to react to the news with one word on Twitter, “Yikes.”
Yikes.
— Mondaire Jones (@MondaireJones) November 9, 2022
Maloney’s concession comes as he was trailing Lawler by just over one point.
His defeat will likely buoy some conservatives who were feeling disappointed after Democrats appear to have overperformed expectations in the midterm elections.
