House Republicans spiked the football on their Democratic counterparts Tuesday night after New York Rep. Joe Crowley, the fourth-ranked House Democrat, lost in a stunning upset to a progressive upstart.
The National Republican Congressional Committee said in a statement that House Democrats are now “left leaderless” with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s defeat of Crowley, who was viewed as a potential successor to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
“Democrats have spent millions rigging primaries across the country, but couldn’t spare a dime for poor Joe Crowley tonight,” said Matt Gorman, the NRCC’s communications director, in a statement.
“House Democrats, hoping for a post-Pelosi era, are now left leaderless,” Gorman said. “The only person happier tonight than Nancy Pelosi is the NRCC.”
Crowley has been a major figure in Democratic politics as conference chairman, which is involved in leading the party’s messaging. The 10-term congressman also had been the Queens party boss, an influential figure in New York politics.
Crowley’s loss is similar to the defeat of then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in 2014 when he fell to Rep. Dave Brat in a Republican primary.
