Republicans picked up another congressional seat when first-term Democrat Staten Island Rep. Max Rose conceded Thursday that he’d lost his re-election bid to Republican challenger Nicole Malliotakis. It continued a pattern of the GOP making some, apparently very unexpected gains that cut into Nancy Pelosi’s majority in the House. It also added another woman to a growing number of ladies in the GOP caucus.
Mr. Rose, an Army vet who’d run as a moderate, voted to impeach President Trump, and attended a Black Lives Matter/anti-police brutality march on Staten Island following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Some of the protesters carried anti-cop and “Defund the police” signs.
Assemblywoman Malliotakis followed the successful GOP strategy of tying Rose to many of the most high profile Dems, who called for defunding the police and removing cash bail for criminal defendants. At a time when New York City has suffered a stunning spike in crime, including murder her message proved very effective.
With fellow New Yorker, AOC, doubling down on her cries to defund law enforcement, and Speaker Pelosi finally getting pushback from her own party regarding her pretentious, late night, gourmet ice cream interview, it would seem there may be some big intra-party battles looming for Democrats.
