Why it matters: The result marks the end of Maloney’s three-decade career in Congress, which culminated with her chairmanship of the powerful House Oversight Committee. The backdrop: Maloney and Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, were drawn into a single House district by a court-appointed mapmaker after a judge dismissed the New York state legislature’s maps as a Democratic joke .
The race for the Upper Manhattan district gained national attention because of the showdown between two senior House Democrats. Attorney Suraj Patel, who has challenged Maloney twice before, was also a candidate. At 38, he hoped his youth would propel him to victory over his two Septuagint rivals.
By the numbers: Maloney’s defeat marks at least 13 incumbents who have lost their primaries this cycle, the result of long political realignments in both parties. What’s next: Nadler is guaranteed re-election in November — the 12th District voted for President Biden in 2020 by more than 70 points.
