HUDSON VALLEY – The Republicans need to win three New York Congressional seats in November to maintain control of the House of Representatives, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson. The Speaker recently sat down with Mid Hudson News to speak about the seats he says Republicans must win to maintain the majority in the House. As of July 1, 2024, There are 219 Republican members of Congress, 213 Democrat party members, and three vacancies.
“As we say all around the country – the road to a Republican majority runs through New York,” Speaker Johnson said.
Three of the seats he calls the most “critical” are in New York’s 17, 18, and 19 Congressional Districts.
In NY-17, Republican Congressman Mike Lawler is facing a challenge from former Democratic Congressman Mondaire Jones. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) which analyzes how partisan of each of the 435 Congressional districts is, NY 17 is rated D+3, meaning that in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, that district performed an average of three points more Democratic than the nation did as a whole.
Democrat Congressman Pat Ryan (NY-18) is facing a challenge from Alison Esposito, the former Republican candidate for lieutenant governor. The district has a Cook PVI rating of D+1 but Speaker Johnson is optimistic, saying “We think it’s one of the greatest flip opportunities in the country – certainly in New York,” in the exclusive sit down with Mid Hudson News.
Rep. Marcus Molinaro (NY-19) is facing another challenge from Democrat Josh Riley, whom he defeated by nearly 4,500 votes in the last election. The Cook PVI for the largely rural district is even, making it a challenge for both candidates.
In the lower Hudson Valley, Westchester County Executive George Latimer won the Democratic primary and is the party’s candidate in NY-16. The Cook PVI rating for the district is D+20.
Source: Mid-Hudson News
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