In the name of “democracy” and fiscal responsibility, New York Democrats are trying to change state election rules in a last-minute bid that could inhibit President Donald Trump’s America First agenda.
Trump tapped Rep. Elise Stefanik to be ambassador to the United Nations, meaning her seat representing New York’s 21st Congressional District will soon be vacant. According to state law, Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul is supposed to announce a special election within 10 days of Stefanik resigning her seat. That election is then to take place between 70 and 80 days after the announcement.
But the party that screeched about “democracy” and “expanding voting rights” is trying to push off any special elections, instead seeking to hold the special election during the June primaries. Lawmakers reportedly met on Friday to discuss possible changes to the law, according to the New York Post.
Democratic lawmakers claim the move is about saving money and time. Such a move would leave Stefanik’s seat without representation for roughly four months. And with Republicans holding a razor-thin majority in the House (a majority threatened by some unreliable Republicans), losing a GOP-held seat could hold up Trump’s ability to pursue his agenda.
But it’s not just Stefanik’s seat that Democrats are trying to leave open. State Senator Simcha Felder, who was a member of the Independent Democratic Conference but caucused with Republicans until 2018 and currently represents parts of Brooklyn, filed paperwork to run for City Council in 2025, meaning his seat could also be left vacant.
Assemblywoman Latrice Walker told Gothamist that her primary reasons for preventing New Yorkers from having representation for months are “democracy” and “equity.”
“We’re always looking for cost-effective measures by which to exact democracy,” Walker said, according to Gothamist. “And as a voting rights advocate, I’m always looking for fairness, justice and equity.”
A spokesman for Hochul made the same claim — that Democrats suddenly have an appetite for fiscal responsibility.
“[Gov. Hochul] believes it’s critical to increase voter turnout and reduce the cost of election administration and she would support legislation that achieves that goal,” the representative reportedly said.
But New York State Assemblyman Anil Beephan told The Federalist that the move has nothing to do with the money.
“This isn’t about saving taxpayer dollars — it’s about saving their own power. When Brian Higgins resigned, Democrats wasted no time calling a special election for his Buffalo-area seat. When Kathy Hochul ran for Congress, they had no problem scheduling an election right away. But now, with their control slipping after losing the Senate supermajority, they suddenly want to change the rules.”
Congressman Mike Lawler, who represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, told The Federalist that Hochul and the Democrats are “hypocrites.”
“Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats are the worst kind of hypocrites,” Lawler said in a statement to The Federalist. “They constantly claim that they’re ‘defending democracy’ and ‘working to expand voting rights,’ while simultaneously trying to deny Republicans, Independent, and Democratic residents of NY-21 a representative in Congress.”
“Shame on them for their blatant hypocrisy,” Lawler continued.
A Republican strategist told The Federalist that it’s unsurprising Democrats are trying to “circumvent the will of the people.”
“It’s New York and one party control of the state legislature. Of course they’re going to circumvent the will of the people and strip them of representation. The real question is how much longer will New York voters allow themselves to be used and abused by Democrats in Albany? There will be no one advocating for the North Country or a community of interest in Brooklyn … what could go wrong?”
Beephan also said Democrats are trying to make last-minute changes to election law because they expect Republicans will win both seats and want to stave off such a loss for as long as possible, while possibly increasing their meager odds.
“Democrats are staring down the possibility of losing both races in special elections. But instead of facing voters head-on, they’re scheming to delay these contests until primary day in a last-ditch effort to boost Democrat turnout,” Beephan told The Federalist.
“Albany Democrats have a long history of rewriting election laws when it suit[s] them, from changing petition deadlines to removing Brian Benjamin from the lieutenant governor ballot. It’s just another day in Albany, where corruption runs deep, and Democrats will do anything to protect their political machine.”
Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2
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