There are presently 220 Republicans and 211 Democrats in Congress. The silver lining to the loss by Lee Zeldin to Governor Kathy Hochul in 2022 was that his coattails brought in six new Republican Congressmen. They included: Nick LaLota in District 1, George Santos in District 3, Anthony D’Esposito in District 4, Mike Lawler in District 17, Marc Molinaro in District 19, and Brandon Williams in District 22.
Brandon Williams replaced Republican John Katko, who retired. George Santos was forced out; he was replaced by Democrat Tom Suozzi, who beat Republican challenger Mazi Pilip in a special election. Republican Mike LiPetri is challenging Tom Suozzi in District 3 this November. He is hoping, as are the other Republican candidates, that the down-ballot effect of Donald Trump at the top of the ticket will make the difference. This is quite possible, since the districts up for grabs have been adversely affected by the inflationary economy, illegal immigration, and crime. These issues are where Republicans do best. The impact of inflation has cut into incomes of workers by 5% to 15%. The Democrats pushing for defunding the police and the revolving door of bail reform has only helped the Republicans. Law and order is highly valued, especially in these districts. The immigrant crisis has only amplified the need for more police, not fewer. These are strong points for the Republicans.
On Israel, the Democratic Party has been hurt by Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket. Many of the districts in New York have large Jewish populations in play. This is especially true of District 3, District 4, and District 17. Anthony D’Esposito has been a strong, outspoken, and ardent supporter of Israel and the Jewish People. He won his seat in 2022 by 3.6% (only 10,000 votes). The Jewish vote is absolutely crucial in his district. Similarly, in District 17, Mike Lawler who is also a great friend of Israel and the Jewish People, won by only 1% (about 2000 votes). His challenger this year is Mondaire Jones, who has had a notorious anti-Israel record, including voting against Iron Dome for Israel. The Jewish vote is well represented in his district, which includes Rockland County. Congressman Mike Lawler is an Irish Italian Catholic but cares about Israel with a deep passion. He recently introduced a bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act to address anti-Semitic sentiment and activities on college campuses. The bill would withhold federal funds which total in billions of dollars if universities did not control anti-Semitism.
NORPAC held an event at the end of September at the home of Freda and Scott Englander with both Congressman D’Esposito and Congressman Mike Lawler featured. Both showed a very sophisticated and deep knowledge of the Middle East and the America-Israel alliance.
Even though New York is a heavily blue state, the current makeup is 16 Democratic Congressmen and 10 Republican Congressmen. Recent polls indicate that this differential can become even closer. In any case, the fate of Congress hinges on the New York delegation. This was quite apparent in 2022, and it looks like it’s going to repeat itself this election cycle.
Joseph M. Frager is a physician and lifelong activist.
