The head of the House Democratic campaign organization warned members of his party Thursday against “falling in love” with COVID-19 restrictions as many states start scrapping mask mandates.
“We as Democrats should not be, out of some sense of correctness, falling in love with mandates when they aren’t necessary,” Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) insisted on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “We should get rid of them as quickly as we responsibly can.”
Maloney added that he agreed with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to lift New York’s statewide mask mandate, a move he called “science-based,” and said the country has reached the point where “mandates — and that’s the point, not mask-wearing — mandates are no longer necessary” due to “vaccines, booster shots, other treatments, and available testing.”
Hochul, like many other governors, removed the mandate earlier this month in most settings, but kept it in place for students and teachers as the Empire State emerged from a wave of cases caused by the Omicron variant.
Maloney’s warning to Dems about being wedded to mask and vaccine requirements comes as his party faces an uphill battle to retain its narrow House majority in the November midterm elections. According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, Republicans have a 3.4 percentage-point lead on the generic congressional ballot.
House Democrats have also had to grapple with a wave of retirements, as Long Island Rep. Kathleen Rice recently became the 30th caucus member to announce they would not contest their seat again.
Another obstacle to Democrats retaining power is the mood of voters. On Tuesday, parents in San Francisco recalled the school board president and two other members — an indication of the level of frustration with longstanding restrictions on businesses, dining, social gatherings and in-person schooling.
The board members — Gabriela López, Faauuga Moliga and Alison Collins – drew the ire of parents over the slow reopening of schools during the pandemic.
The recall was launched in January 2021 when the school board proposed renaming 44 schools that it said honored public figures linked to racism, sexism and other injustices — including Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Wednesday that the recall “delivered a clear message that the school board must focus on the essentials of delivering a well-run school system above all else.”
Other Democratic lawmakers have also sounded the alarm with the prospect of a House wipeout staring them in the face.
Sen. John Tester (D-Mont.), who represents a state that former President Donald Trump won by 16 percentage points in 2020, recently warned members of his caucus that they needed to start appealing to regular Americans.
”I honestly don’t think the Democratic Party can be a majority party unless we start appealing to Middle America a lot more. I’m talking about the area between the two mountain ranges, the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains,” Tester told David Axelrod during an interview on “The Axe Files” podcast last week.
“And if we’re able to do that, I think it will provide success,” he said.
When asked how his constituents in Montana felt about Democrats, Tester answered: “It’s toxic.”
“The national Democratic brand in rural America generally is toxic, and it’s because, quite frankly, we don’t show up,” he said. “I’m talking about national Democrats.”
Tester went on to urge his Democratic colleagues to get out of Washington and travel to “places we’re not wanted and answer questions.”
”I think it’s critically important,” he said. “If you’re going to win, you’ve got to go to those places. As miserable as it might be, you still go.”
