Johnson blitzes New York to defend House majority – Washington Examiner
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is actively campaigning in New York to support Republican candidates and defend the party’s majority in the House of Representatives. As he visits key districts, he is teaming up with local GOP lawmakers, such as Rep. Mike Lawler and GOP candidate Alison Esposito, to encourage voter turnout ahead of the elections. Johnson’s campaign efforts are essential, as several districts he is targeting are considered vulnerable after flipping to Republican control in the 2022 midterms.
Together with former Rep. Lee Zeldin, Johnson aims to solidify New York’s status as a battleground state for Republicans, especially given their previous successes in the area. However, Democrats are using Johnson’s visit to criticize him and the Republicans, highlighting concerns over healthcare policies and framing them as extreme. The upcoming elections will be crucial for the GOP, as they work to maintain control of districts that are now highly competitive.
Mike Johnson blitzes New York to defend House majority
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is making the rounds to campaign with several GOP lawmakers in New York as the party looks to defend some of its most vulnerable seats and maintain its slim majority in the lower chamber.
Johnson will appear alongside several New York Republicans this week, campaigning with Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) in New York’s 17th Congressional District on Thursday before attending a “Get Out The Vote” event with GOP candidate Alison Esposito in the 18th District later that day. After that, Johnson will campaign with Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) on Friday before finishing off the week with Rep. Brandon Williams (R-NY) in the 22nd District.
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The two-day visit comes after Johnson campaigned with Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) on Wednesday in New York’s 4th District.
Johnson will be joined by former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) as the two look to build on GOP gains the party managed to secure in 2022 and establish the historically red state as a battleground for Republicans.
“In an election that’s been full of surprises, one of the biggest has been hiding in plain sight: New York’s status as a battleground state is as unlikely as it is unshakeable,” the two wrote in an op-ed for the New York Post. “Our New York efforts in 2022 delivered a Republican House majority, and it will be our victories in New York this year that keep it.”
The Empire State blitz comes as Republicans must defend several seats that were flipped into GOP control during the 2022 midterm elections and were crucial to the party seizing control of the lower chamber. Since then, the races have been considered some of the most competitive of the 2024 cycle—particularly those held by Williams and D’Esposito, which the Cook Political Report deemed two of the top ten most vulnerable seats on election night.
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While Johnson is planning to traverse across New York, Democrats are seizing on the opportunity to paint him and the GOP incumbents as extreme.
“As Speaker Mike Johnson visits NY tomorrow, we need to make sure everyone sees this video where he promises to rip healthcare away from millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions,” Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), who is facing a challenge from Esposito, said in a post on X. “I’m fighting to protect and expand freedom. Mike Johnson wants to take it away.”
Attached to the post is a video of Johnson pledging to seek “massive reform” of Obamacare should former President Donald Trump retake the White House and Republicans keep their House majority. Democrats quickly seized on those comments, accusing the speaker of wanting to fully repeal Obamacare.
Johnson later pushed back on that criticism, accusing Democrats of taking his words out of context when he actually meant “the opposite of that.”
“I said, the ACA, unfortunately, is deeply ingrained in our healthcare system now. Do we need further improvements? Absolutely,” Johnson told Fox News’s Mornings with Maria. “We need to expand quality of care, access to care, and obviously lower the cost of healthcare, and I started talking about that.”
Johnson’s trip also comes days after early voting began in New York on Saturday and less than one week until Election Day.
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