Johnson spotlights ‘corruption’ in possible delay of special election
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has accused New York Democrats of attempting to delay a special election intended to fill the seat of Rep. Elise Stefanik, whom he alleges will resign to become a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Johnson described this delay as ”open political corruption,” expressing concerns that lawmakers are working to change state election laws to allow Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) to postpone the election beyond the existing requirement for it to be held within 80-90 days of a vacancy. johnson argues that such a delay woudl disadvantage the voters in Stefanik’s district and result in Johnson operating with an even smaller Republican majority. This sentiment was echoed by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who criticized Hochul and the Democrats for their tactics to potentially leave the seat vacant. Stefanik’s confirmation as ambassador is anticipated soon, following the Senate foreign Relations Committee’s approval of her nomination.
Mike Johnson spotlights ‘corruption’ in possible delay of Stefanik special election
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) accused New York Democrats of attempting to delay a special election to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik, decrying it as “open political corruption.”
Lawmakers met Friday to discuss changing New York election law to allow Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) to delay special elections. Currently, the governor must announce a special election within 10 days after a member of Congress resigns, and the election must happen in the next 80-90 days.
The lawmakers’ meeting came as Stefanik is expected to resign from Congress once she is confirmed as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration. If this change to New York state law is made, it would force Johnson to work with an even smaller majority than he already has.
“This is open political corruption by the state officials in New York,” Johnson said on Fox & Friends. “This seat should be filled within 90 days of Elise Stefanik moving over to be the U.N. ambassador, but they’re trying to delay this maybe to late summer, maybe to fall? It’s just corruption on open display.”
Johnson then pointed out that New York lawmakers are focused on undermining House Republicans rather than addressing the needs of their voters, listing illegal immigration and antisemitism on display on college campuses. He also argued that the change to state law would “disenfranchise” the voters in Stefanik’s district, which he deemed “unconscionable.”
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) also rebuked this proposed change to state law, writing on X that it shows “just how craven Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats are.”
This is ridiculous and shows just how craven Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats are. They will stop at nothing to try and deny Republicans and Independents in New York representation at the federal level, even if that includes keeping Elise Stefanik’s seat vacant. pic.twitter.com/eSuiRWttji
— Mike Lawler (@lawler4ny) February 1, 2025
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has already voted to move Stefanik’s nomination forward following her confirmation hearing in mid-January. Her confirmation vote could be held within the next few days, as Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) has said the Senate is expecting to conduct five more confirmation votes this week.
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