The outcome of the near-tie Democratic primary in New York’s 12th District may determine if Chelsea Clinton will go to Congress in 2022.
As of late Thursday, with nearly 90 percent of the votes counted in the so-called “Silk Stocking” district, House Oversight Committee Chairman Carolyn Maloney clung to a lead of 486 votes over leftist insurgent and multimillionaire hotelier Suraj Patel.
With roughly 109,500 absentee and mail-in ballots to be counted beginning June 30, the all-important Democratic primary could go either way — and it could have a major impact on whether former first daughter Chelsea Clinton becomes “Rep. Clinton.”
Among Manhattan Democrats, it has long been taken for granted that when and if Malone, 74, and a House Member for 28 year, retired, her successor would be the daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Chelsea Clinton lives in the 12th District (East Side of Manhattan) with husband Marc Mezvinsky, and their three children.
Should Maloney survive this year’s primary, she will almost certainly step down in 2022 and pave the way for Chelsea Clinton to run.
But should Patel, 36, emerge the nominee, his certain election would almost surely shut the door on a congressional seat for Clinton, 40, for years to come.
Patel, who is closely identified with the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party, campaigned hard as a champion of Medicare for children, publicly funded childcare, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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