Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney wins NY congressional seat over Sen. Alessandra Biaggi
NEW YORK — U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney was declared the Democratic winner in Tuesday’s primary in New York’s newly drawn 17th District in the Hudson Valley over his progressive opponent, New York state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, D-Bronx, by the Associated Press.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair had powerhouse endorsements, including former President Bill Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the New York Times editorial board. Biaggi was supported by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, the Working Families Party and other progressive groups.
© New York Daily NewsRep. Jerrold Nadler defeats Rep. Carolyn Maloney in blockbuster NY congressional primary
NEW YORK — Rep. Jerrold Nadler trounced Rep. Carolyn Maloney in their blockbuster Manhattan primary Tuesday, holding on to the district he has represented for three decades and ousting a fellow Democratic congressional titan after an unusually contentious campaign.
Nadler, a veteran Upper West Side liberal, held nearly 56% of the vote total compared with the 24% clinched by Maloney, his colleague-turned-rival from the Upper East Side, according to early state Board of Elections returns from the 12th Congressional District primary. Insurgent candidate Suraj Patel trailed them with about 19%.
Nadler, the powerful head of the House Judiciary Committee, has represented different versions of a West Side-based district for three decades, rarely facing more than token primary opposition since his first 1992 election.
But the usual cakewalk turned into a cage fight when a court-appointed special master redrew New York’s congressional district lines earlier this year to effectively combine Nadler’s political base with Maloney’s. The two congressional veterans — Maloney was also first elected in 1991 — decided to run against each other as a result.
The two cordial allies quickly turned to lobbing political attacks at one another as a potentially career-ending loss loomed for one or the other.
With little of political substance dividing them, Nadler touted his modest upbringing and his long history of fighting for liberal causes.
Maloney, who leads the similarly powerful House Oversight Committee, suggested that a woman would be better placed to argue the case for abortion rights and gun control.
She also portrayed herself as a more-effective fighter for local causes like the battle to win benefits for 9/11 first responders. Toward the tail end of the campaign, Maloney took on a more aggressive tone, questioning Nadler’s mental state and even claiming he was going “senile.”
Nadler later gained momentum when U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York’s most powerful Democrat in Congress, endorsed him.
Polls earlier in the race showed a tight race between Nadler and Maloney. But in the last couple of weeks, surveys showed Nadler opening up a decent-sized lead.
© New York Daily NewsCharlie Crist wallops Nikki Fried in Democratic primary for Florida governor
ORLANDO, Fla. — Charlie Crist soundly defeated Nikki Fried in the Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday, prevailing in what became a bitter campaign to take on Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the general election.
Crist had 59.9% of the vote to Fried’s 35.2%, with 81% of the precincts reporting.
“Tonight, the people of Florida clearly sent a message: They want a governor who cares about them and solves real problems, preserves our freedom, not a bully who divides us and takes our freedom away,” Crist declared in a victory speech in St. Petersburg. “This guy wants to be president of the United States of America and everybody knows it. However, when we defeat them on Nov. 8 that show is over. Enough.”
Crist praised Fried for “fighting the good fight,” adding, “We share the same goal. To save our state and defeat DeSantis.”
In her concession speech in Fort Lauderdale, Fried said she called Crist to congratulate him on his win and pledged to campaign to elect Democrats “up and down the ballot.”
“We are going to make Ron DeSantis a one-term governor and a zero-term president of the United States,” Fried told her supporters. “This is a time that we as Democrats are going to come together. We have to be united like we have never been united before.”
U.S. Rep. Crist, 66, and Agriculture Commissioner Fried, 44, largely agreed on most issues, including addressing the housing and homeowners insurance crises. They both vowed to roll back DeSantis’ culture wars, including the so-called “don’t say gay” law that led to a DeSantis clash with Walt Disney Co.
Crist also is seeking his second term as governor after serving as a Republican from 2007 to 2011.
Fried, who adopted the slogan “Something New,” attacked Crist as a former Republican governor and blamed him for conservative picks he made to the state Supreme Court. Crist said this year he regretted two of his selections to the court as governor.
After Roe v. Wade was overturned in June, Fried doubled down on reminding Democratic voters of Crist’s past description of himself as “pro-life.”
She ran ads with Crist repeating the phrase and referred to herself as the only abortion rights candidate, despite Crist’s endorsement by state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a former Planned Parenthood official, and others.
Crist responded by saying, if elected, he would protect abortion rights.
Crist fired back at Fried during the debate in July, citing her contribution to Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody, a friend of Fried’s from college. His campaign also highlighted Fried’s 2018 retweet of GOP U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz writing, “Prosecute Hillary Clinton, not medical marijuana businesses and patients.”
He called her attacks on him an act of “desperation” by a candidate who was far behind.
© Orlando Sentinel
