Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is running against Reps. Cheri Bustos (Ill.), Suzan DelBene (Wash.) and Denny Heck (Wash.) for the DCCC post. | Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images Congress Sean Patrick Maloney hospitalized, requests delay in DCCC vote

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney — hospitalized with a bacterial infection — is asking for a delay in Wednesday's vote for chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a post the New York lawmaker is seeking.

However, it's not clear whether the election can be delayed. House Democrats will meet on Wednesday to begin organizing for the next Congress. Rep. Joe Crowley of New York is chairman of the Democratic Caucus, but he lost reelection and is retiring. Thus, the decision on whether to delay the DCCC vote would be up to whoever wins the caucus chair race between Reps. Barbara Lee of California and Hakeem Jeffries of New York. That election will take place Wednesday.


"Delaying a leadership election is up to the new [Democratic Caucus] chair in concert with the members running for the position," said a Democratic leadership aide.

Maloney is running for the DCCC post against Reps. Cheri Bustos of Illinois and Suzan DelBene and Denny Heck, both of Washington.

Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The three lawmakers had just found out about Maloney's health problems and were still evaluating the situation, according to Democratic sources.

In a statement, Maloney said a bacterial infection he first got in September flared up again. According to his office, Maloney is being treated with antibiotics at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. He hopes to return home by the end of the week.

"I had intended to stand for election to a leadership position this week, but life had other plans for me," Maloney said in a statement released Tuesday. "I’ve always been blessed with good health, but this condition is going to require a few days of intensive treatment. With deep respect for my supporters and colleagues, I felt it was improper to continue a leadership run at this time, unless the election can be postponed until a later date. I’ll be enthusiastically re-joining my colleagues soon to get to work on the important issues of the day.”

The 52-year-old Maloney was first elected to Congress in 2012.

