Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney
Sean Patrick Maloney has jumped into the race for New York Attorney General that will be decided in a special election.
Maloney is New York’s only gay member of Congress.
The position became open when Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned in May after four women accused him of assaulting them.
The New York attorney general’s office has been where much pro-LGBT litigation has arisen. When ExxonMobil refused to extend benefits to same-sex partners, the attorney general, representing the state’s pension fund that was the company’s largest shareholder, filed shareholder resolutions year after year.
That activism could be expected to continue if Maloney is elected.
What is in danger is Maloney’s seat. His district is one of only 12 congressional districts held by Democrats that Trump carried in the 2016 election.
In other election news, Gavin Newsom received the most votes in the California gubernatorial primary. Newsom, who is the state’s current lieutenant governor, was the 2009 Black Tie Dinner keynote speaker. In November, he’ll face John Cox who was endorsed by Trump.
In California’s primary system, candidates from both parties run in one primary and the top two vote-getters face off in November.
California currently has seven Republican congressmen. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won in each of those districts. As of this morning, votes were still being counted, but Democrats are hoping to place candidates in each of those races and take those seats in the fall.
— David Taffet