New York congressmembers join coalition to accept election results

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — On Friday, September 13, five members of New York's congressional delegation explicitly committed to respecting election results, regardless of the winner. Alongside 27 other Congressmembers, they signed on to a "Unity Commitment" put together by Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Don Bacon, who represent New Jersey and Nebraska, respectively.

"In our country, we hash out our ideas at the ballot box and then come together to govern once all votes are counted," said Congressman Mike Lawler, a Republican representing New York's 17th Congressional District. "As the leader of the free world, we must continue to lead by example at home by respecting the will of the people. I'm proud to join alongside colleagues in both parties to reiterate this fundamental commitment that lies at the heart of our democracy."

New Jersey's Gottheimer is a Democrat, while Bacon, from Nebraska, is a Republican. In addition to Lawler, the other New York representatives are from downstate:

• Anthony D'Esposito, a Republican from New York's 4th Congressional District
• Nick Lalota, a Republican from New York's 1st Congressional District
• Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from New York's 3rd Congressional District
• Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from New York's 15th Congressional District

The commitment stems from Jan. 6, 2021, when Reps. Gottheimer and Bacon joined with the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus—then co-chaired by former New York Rep. Tom Reed—to release Principles on Elections and the Electoral College. Those principles were:

1. We are committed to combating attempts to undermine the will of the American people as expressed through the legitimate results of a democratic election.
2. We are united in our commitment to prevent fraud by protecting the integrity and security of elections in America.
3. As the greatest democracy in the world, the United States prides itself in its adherence to the peaceful transition of power as a core pillar of a functioning, fair political system.
4. Congress must begin its work on January 20 with the Biden Administration, and work in a bipartisan fashion to restore the public's confidence in our governing institutions.

Members who signed the Unity Commitment on Friday essentially promised to attend the inauguration in January 2025 regardless of the outcome of the vote. Even so, the majority of the signatories were Democrats:

In recent history, election denial has come from the political right. After the 2020 election, the New York Times and NPR both counted close to 150 legislators—mostly in Congress and all Republican—who voted to overturn election results or objected to the electoral college count. And an analysis from UCLA found that over 200 candidates—again, mostly congressional—were elected during the 2022 midterms who could be considered election skeptics or deniers. Their list included Rep. Lalota.

An election denier watchdog group counts three election deniers among New York Republicans in Congress: Reps. Nicole Malliotakis of District 11, Elise Stefanik of District 21, and Nick Langworthy of District 23. They're all up for reelection in November. Also running in November is Republican Tina Forte, an election denier hoping to unseat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez in New York's 14th Congressional District.

Lawler, meanwhile, appears to be banking on bipartisanship. An analysis from the Lugar Center found him to be among the least partisan members of Congress. In New York, only Rep. Marc Molinaro scored higher.

Bucking the apparent trend of his party, his office warned last week against spreading fake news on social media. "Lawler is proud to represent one of the largest Haitian-American diasporas in the country, and has worked tirelessly to address issues important to the Haitian community—including working to resolve the unstable situation in Haiti," said Lawler spokesperson Nate Soule. "Lawler has not seen independent verification of the wild claims that have been spread by some about the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio. He encourages his colleagues to exercise great restraint when spreading unfounded theories and claims based off of posts on Facebook.”