Steve Israel’s Backyard Blues

It was a rough night for Steve Israel last night in New York. Not only did he fail in his attempt to influence a Republican primary in his backyard, but Democrats have already lost the general election in NY-22 because . . . there is no Democrat on the ballot for November! Here is the rundown:

NY01: Washington Democrats know that the ethically tarnished Tim Bishop is one of the most vulnerable Members of Congress and the last thing they wanted was for him to face Lee Zeldin in the general. That’s why the DCCC has been launching over-the-top attacks against Zeldin and a Democrat Super PAC meddled in the primary on behalf of George Demos. Well, not only were those efforts unsuccessful, but they actually helped Zeldin make his case on the way to a 24 point blowout.

NY18: In some foreshadowing of the general election in November, Nan Hayworth won an election over incumbent Sean Patrick Maloney. Yes, you read that correctly – Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney lost the Independence Party primary last night despite spending $200,000 trying to win. Now Hayworth is running on the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines, giving her a great opportunity in this swing distict.

NY21: Elise Stefanik also comes out of this primary with a ton of momentum and a top rate campaign operation that is up-and-running four months before the general election. Stefanik offers a fresh and energetic voice for the North Country and is the kind of candidate who can bring new voters to the polls in November. Meanwhile, Aaron Woolf is still driving around the North Country trying to figure out how to get to Watertown and hoping people don’t confuse him with Green Party candidate Matt Funicello.

NY22: Let’s put this in perspective – Mitt Romney won this district by .48 percentage points, but the DCCC couldn’t even get a Democrat on the ballot for November. With Richard Hanna’s win last night, it’s game over for Democrats in this swing seat.

NRCC Comment: “Steve Israel’s worst case scenario in New York unfolded last night. Not only did he fail in his plan to influence the NY-01 Republican primary, which is  in his own backyard, but now Lee Zeldin and Elise Stefanik are rolling into the general election with top rate campaigns and the kind of momentum that will lead them to victory in November.” – NRCC Spokesman Ian Prior