Joe Crowley: Jon Ossoff’s loss was a ‘tough day for Democrats’

“We all know the results of last night’s elections, and we’re all a bit disappointed this here morning,” Crowley said during the House Democrats’ weekly press conference. “It’s a tough day for Democrats in the losses that we sustained, but we are heartened by the progress that we have made in looking at these results.”

Despite the loss, Crowley spoke highly about the gains made in the district and argued it was a sign of hope for Democrats to compete in Republican-leaning districts in 2018. The district has been as easy, double-digit win for Republicans for that last few decades and Ossoff lost to Karen Handel by 3.8 percentage points.

Democrats also lost the South Carolina 5th Congressional District contest where Republican Ralph Norman defeated Democrat Archie Parnell by only 3.2 percentage points. Norman will replace former Rep. Mick Mulvaney, who left the House in February to become the director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Crowley said that the party is looking forward to the 2018 midterm elections where he says “opportunities abound.”

House Democrats also pushed back on the idea that they are focusing too much on the Russia investigation as voters focus on other issues that directly affect them. Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., argued the Russia issue is “valid” to use as a discussion tool in elections, but added Democrats should be able to “walk and chew gum” at the same time.

“Our democracy was attacked, and I think it’s worthwhile to spend time trying to investigate how and why that happened,” Sanchez said. “So, I think discussion of Russia and potential Russia connections is a valid one … It is important to keep our eye on that issue.

“But we can walk and chew gum at the same time. When I go back to my district, my constituents — some of them are upset and want to see where the investigations lead, but I would say the majority of the people in my district talk about other issues that impact them on a day-to-day basis.”