Two years after she lost one of the closest House races in the nation — by just over 1,300 votes — former Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney predicted to Newsmax she would unseat Democrat Anthony Brindisi and retake New York's upstate 22nd District.
"Don't believe that New York Times poll — not for a minute!" Tenney told us, referring to the last survey conducted in the district, which showed Brindisi defeating her 48% to 39%.
Branding the poll "an outlier," Tenney asked aloud: "If he's ahead, why are Democrats putting in another million dollars in this district to trash me on television?"
The combative conservative pointed out that the 22nd District gave President Donald Trump 55% of the vote in 2016 and is now the district with the largest percentage for Trump to have a Democrat congressman.
"And look at [Brindisi's] record — [New York's far-left Rep.] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supports the president more than he does!" Tenney told us. Citing votes cast by Brindisi as both congressman and state assemblyman, she pointed to "his support for 'Medicare for All,' late-term abortions that are now the law in New York, and voting four times to ban fracking."
She also pointed to Brindisi's vote for Trump's impeachment as a congressman from "Trump Country."
The former congresswoman remains a fervent Trump supporter. Asked what she thought of revelations about his tax returns in The New York Times, Tenney replied: "Not much. Small business owners like me understand all this and know it's a crime to release someone's returns without their permission. Quite frankly, I'm more concerned about how Joe Biden and Hunter Biden got rich with their money schemes."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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