Happy Election Day – before polls close, here’s a reminder of New York Republicans’ greatest hits of the cycle that prove exactly why New York voters will reject them.
Don’t forget: In addition to peddling corruption, racism, and unhinged behavior at every turn, every single one of these Republicans would hike costs, restrict abortion rights, and slash Social Security and Medicare.
Let’s run the tapes:
NY-01:
POLITICO revealed that Nick LaLota engaged in pay-to-play behavior by promoting a for-profit New York medical group — whose “political activity has come under scrutiny before” — just days after he received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.
In late September, the vulnerable New York congressman praised the practice’s “upbeat spirit” and “morale” in an ad.
Within days, LaLota’s campaign received $18,000 from the group’s affiliated physicians and a related PAC — bringing LaLota’s total received to “at least $100,000” from an organization that “has for years been a boon” to New York House Republicans.
NY-04:
A groundbreaking report in The New York Times exposed that Anthony D’Esposito gave his fiancée’s daughter and the woman he was having an affair with jobs on his congressional payroll – a potential violation of multiple House ethics rules.
Over the course of seven months, D’Esposito spent nearly $29,000 of Long Island taxpayers’ hard-earned money to keep both women on his payroll.
This is just the many instances in a long pattern of D’Esposito abusing his power in everypositionhe’severheld.
NY-17:
Recent New York Times reporting exposed Mike Lawler for wearing “blackface as part of a Halloween costume” — then offensively defending the blackface as “the sincerest form of flattery.”
Lawler’s disturbing pattern of insensitivity to the district’s Black community doesn’t stop there – he twice refused to condemn racist slurs and language at events and interviews in just the last couple of weeks – underscoring that he’s repeatedly allowed dangerous and hateful rhetoric to go unchecked.
Additionally, Lawler “declined” to attend the Rockland County NAACP candidate forums. The Spring Valley, Nyack, and Mid-Hudson/Westchester branches of the NAACP have condemned Lawler’s use of blackface and pattern of racial insensitivity.
NY-18:
A damning report in City & State exposed Alison Esposito for being sued twice over alleged wrongful arrests that ultimately resulted in settlements costing New York taxpayers $120,000.
Taxpayers were forced to foot the bill to clean up Esposito’s mess during her time at the NYPD.
In 2005, she was accused of using excessive force when arresting three Black women falsely accused of shoplifting. In a separate lawsuit filed in 2017, Esposito was accused of assaulting, detaining, and arresting a child.
The report came amid revelations that Esposito was punished by the NYPD for leaving her firearm in an unlocked car where it was stolen.
NY-19:
The New York Times reported that Marc Molinaro, who once was touted as a “normal” Republican, is “embracing far-right rhetoric,” backing “Mr. Trump and leaning heavily on anti-immigrant sentiment,” and even “going so far as to indulge in racist conspiracy theories.”
Molinaro’s “rightward pivot has been noticed by observers across the political spectrum, baffling his allies as well as some institutional supporters.”
NY-22:
The Post-Standard exposed Brandon Williams for being an absent representative and failing to deliver on any substantive legislative priorities for Central New York and the Mohawk Valley during his first year in Congress.
Over his ineffective term, Williams has failed to make any progress on key issues impacting New York’s 22nd Congressional District, including finding bipartisan solutions to fix our border, protecting reproductive freedom, and bringing back manufacturing jobs.
