Three months after the New York Democrats’ congressional losses it’s time for some introspection

Some New York Democrats say that three months after their party’s devastating congressional losses, state party leaders have failed to accept responsibility for the situation or formulate a plan to turn things around in time for the 2024 election.

Two seats on Long Island and two in the Hudson Valley were won by the Republican Party in the 2018 midterms, helping to protect the minority party’s tenuous hold on the House of Representatives.

Prominent politicians like House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have called for an investigation into the tragedy in the months since it occurred.

Recent comments by Jeffries indicate that the New York delegation will have its own ideas about how to improve the situation in 2024.
Jay Jacobs, the chairman of the Democratic Party in his state, has become a target of criticism from progressive Democrats.

For example, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez renewed her long-standing call for Jacobs to resign the morning after the election.

Jacobs has published a 10-page report detailing his findings on the losses and the factors he believes contributed to them, including redistricting, competitive primaries, and the Republican emphasis on crime and bail reform in their campaign messaging. From anecdotal evidence, he concluded that the abortion rights issue did not play a significant role in the New York election.

In New York, the report finds that Democratic candidates were unsuccessful in winning over “swing voters,” and that Republican turnout was higher overall. It is not because our candidates were not progressive enough, the report says, that Republicans turned out in large numbers.

But Jacobs counters the claim that the state party was careless, writing, “The way-too-early claims that the State Party ‘had no ground game’ or did ‘nothing’ to help bring out the vote was, simply, patently false.”

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a progressive who represents the Bronx and parts of Westchester County, has said that the introspection he has seen thus far falls short.

No, it’s more than just thinking about oneself. In an interview with Spectrum News NY1 earlier this month, he elaborated on the theme of collaboration. I’m the kind of person Jay Jacobs should want to talk to because of the district I represent, and yet I haven’t heard from him yet. It’s a hybrid of city and suburb.

In response to whether he wants Jacobs to leave his position, Bowman said, “Yeah, he could go, he could go. And yet, it goes much deeper than that… But who shall we substitute for him? What you just said is crucial. There is more than one person involved.

Jacobs admits that he hasn’t had any communication with Bowman, but he’s willing to have that conversation.

Take a look at what the congressman has said about me over the past few months, years, and even before the election and you’ll see that he has a pretty low opinion of me. Jacobs said on Friday, “I just haven’t found him as being too inviting to a conversation with me.” I’d be delighted to speak with him. In other words, I can’t say that I am personally acquainted with him.

Jacobs claims to have talked to politicians like Jeffries and New York City representatives Grace Meng and Gregory Meeks of Queens.

Meeks agrees with the calls for cooperation, arguing that everyone can help raise money for the state party.

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Meeks, who is also the Queens Democratic Chairman, has said that he has talked to Jacobs and does not object to him continuing in his current position.

We need to keep probing my questions. Meeks said, “There are some things that we want to change, and Jay has been very receptive to hearing us out and implementing our suggestions.” “In that respect, it is not for us to turn against one another; it is for us to listen to one another.”

New York’s U.S. Senate race in 2020 will be the state’s most high-profile election, second only to the presidential race.

As the incumbent senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, has been in contact with local party leaders, she sounds optimistic about the prospects of a Democratic comeback. When asked about working with other House candidates, she expressed excitement about the prospect of coordinating messaging and joint campaign mailers, for example.

‘I want to help these House candidates and make sure they have a shot at winning,’ she said. I believe there is a real chance that we can win back those House seats this year, especially since our turnouts tend to be higher in presidential years.

One of the most intriguing questions for 2024 will be whether or not New York’s Democrats can accomplish this.