Democrat Rep. Rose Concedes to Malliotakis in NY Congressional Race

Rep. Max Rose (D-N.Y.), who represents a district Trump carried in the 2016 election, said Friday that he will vote in favor of the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. U.S. House of Representatives

Rep. Max Rose (D-N.Y.), a first-term congressman, conceded his reelection bid in New York’s 11th District after projections showed Republican challenger Nicole Malliotakis winning.

Malliotakis, a New York assemblywoman who was first elected in 2010, will represent the New York City-based House district that encompasses all of Staten Island and part of southwestern Brooklyn. Rose, an Afghan war veteran and Army reservist, had ousted Republican Dan Donovan in the 2018 midterm elections.

“As we continue to count every ballot and are on track to dramatically narrow the gap by tens of thousands of votes to a 4–5 point margin, it is now clear that we will fall short of 50.1 percent. I have called to congratulate Congresswoman-elect Malliotakis on her win and concede the race. I promise every resident of the 11th Congressional District that we will ensure a smooth transition,” Rose said in a statement.

“Our city, and our country, stand at a crossroads. Far too many Americans feel unseen, unheard, or even betrayed by those entrusted with leading us through these difficult times,“ he added. ”All of us in public life have a responsibility to try to heal the divisions and restore faith and trust in each other. I know that we can summon that spirit because we’ve done it before.”

Malliotakis, who was the GOP nominee for mayor of New York City in 2017, was defeated by Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat.

House Rep.-elect Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) speaks during a press conference outside City Hall in New York on July 19, 2017. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Both Rose and Malliotakis released ads that attacked de Blasio, who is unpopular in the district. Rose ran a campaign ad in which he proclaimed, “Bill de Blasio is the worst Mayor in the history of New York City. That’s it, guys.”

Malliotakis attempted to characterize Rose as a Democrat who aligned himself with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) when he voted to impeach President Donald Trump last year following a House Democrat-led inquiry.

“I do not regret what I did—political consequences be damned,” Rose said during a debate in October. Trump carried the congressional district by more than 10 points during the 2016 election.

Malliotakis said in the debate that she’s a Trump supporter, despite not backing him in the 2016 Republican primary.

“Of course I support the president. He’s done a good job,” the assemblywoman said at the time, adding that Rose and other Democrats in Congress “have tried to interrupt everything he attempted to accomplish.”

Malliotakis also criticized Rose for participating in a Black Lives Matter march over the summer following George Floyd’s death.

“Max was marching in front of a police precinct with the anti-police crowd,” said Malliotakis, saying that protesters included “Blue Lives Murder” and “defund the police” slogans—slogans that have proven to be unpopular among a majority of Americans.

Some centrist Democrats, including No. 3 House Democrat Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, have said that the “defund the police” slogan hurt many congressional candidates during last week’s elections.