Democrats launch campaign to oust NY Republicans

Nicole Gaudiano , Nicole Gaudiano | Democrat and Chronicle

WASHINGTON – Democrats launched a coordinated campaign to unseat House Republicans from New York on Tuesday, hoping the Empire State will play a major role in helping them win back control of the House.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and members of the state congressional delegation kicked off the “New York Fights Back” campaign at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City to target six Republican seats. Democrats need a net gain of 24 seats to win back the House majority.

“We say to these Congress people, we promise you, if you violate your office, you defraud the voters, you hurt the people of this state, we will remove you from office,” Cuomo said.

Cuomo specifically named Reps. John Faso of Kinderhook and Chris Collins of Clarence and their colleagues, saying he is charging them with “violating their oath of office” to represent New Yorkers’ interests.

“These are not moderate responsible officials,” he said. “These are political pawns to the ultra-conservative puppet masters in Washington.”

Pelosi said New York will be on the front lines of Democrats’ fight to “restore sanity to Washington.

“The Empire State is one of our most important battlegrounds for Democrats to take back the House of Representatives for the American people,” she said. “There are 8 Republican seats we can and must win in November 2018. Defeating them in 2018 means laying the foundation for victory right now.”

Elected officials were joined at the rally by more than 2,000 activists and labor union allies along with actors Steve Buscemi and John Leguizamo, according to organizers.

State Democrats are targeting the six Republicans who they see as most vulnerable and who voted for the American Health Care Act, the GOP plan to replace Obamacare. An independent estimate says the plan would put 23 million at risk of losing their health care. That includes about 3 million New Yorkers, Cuomo said.

They plan to invest heavily in field organizing, digital media and voter registration in races against Faso, Collins and Republican Reps. Lee Zeldin of Shirley, Elise Stefanik of Willsboro, Claudia Tenney of New Hartford and Tom Reed of Corning. They launched NYFightBack.org on Tuesday as an information hub and organizing tool to mobilize voters against those six.

GOP Reps. John Katko of Camillus and Dan Donovan of Staten Island voted against the AHCA, but Democrats believe that may not matter in a wave election. A number of Democrats who voted against Obamacare still lost their seats in 2010.

Already, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party’s campaign arm in the House, announced plans to target all of New York’s House Republicans, except for Rep. Peter King of Seaford.

"It comes as no surprise that Andrew Cuomo is lashing out so hysterically to deflect from his failed record," said Chris Martin, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm for House Republicans. "Under Cuomo’s liberal tax-and-spend agenda, New York remains one of the unfriendliest states for businesses in the country – and Democratic House candidates will be forced to explain that fact to voters.”

The NRCC plans to devote resources to the re-election campaigns for Faso, Katko and Tenney. They are three of just 20 Republicans currently named to the NRCC’s nationwide “Patriot” program for vulnerable incumbents, which provides support for campaign organizing and fundraising.

Democrats are particularly interested in New York because it has a high number of Republican House members in what is traditionally a Democratic state (for presidential elections), said Nathan L. Gonzales, editor of Inside Elections, a non-partisan political newsletter.

Among the state's Republican House members, the most vulnerable member is Faso, who was likely aided in 2016 by President Trump beating Democratic expectations in that district, he said.

Trump is now viewed favorably by 33% of Upstate voters while 63% view him unfavorably, according to a May 15-18 poll by Siena College Research Institute. The poll showed only 30% of Upstate voters support the AHCA and 60% oppose it.

Though he lost his home state of New York, Trump fared well in districts upstate. But there's no downside for Democrats saying they're targeting races in June during the off year, he said.

"Democrats are feeling emboldened right now," he said. "They feel like they can compete anywhere and they're trying to get as many credible challengers in place now in case each seat develops into a real opportunity next year."