DCCC spends $600k on ads defending leader Rep. Patrick Maloney

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Democratic Rep. Maloney rejects that Biden has been MIA on the midterms campaign trail

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., tells ABC's Jonathan Karl he "doesn't know" what he's talking about and that Biden has been campaigning in New York.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has begun pouring funding into its chairman's campaign as his New York congressional race tightens.

 Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is running against Republican New York Assemblyman Mike Lawler in New York's 17th Congressional District, which includes the Hudson Valley. 

The DCCC will be committing approximately $600,000 to Maloney – the committee's leader – after recent weeks saw his lead over Lawler stumble. The hundreds of thousands of dollars in backup is earmarked toward air time and political advertising supporting Maloney.

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DCCC Chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney arrives on Capitol Hill. (Fox News/Tyler Olson)

Maloney currently serves in New York's 18th District, but opted to run for the 17th District seat after redistricting changed the state's congressional map. Lawler, who is from and represents Rockland County in the state assembly, said this plays in his favor.

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Assemblyman Mike Lawler, Republican candidate for the 17th Congressional District, speaks at a news conference in White Plains, New York, Oct. 12, 2022. (Seth Harrison/The Journal News/USA Today Network via Reuters)

The switch is just one part of a game of political musical chairs caused by the redistricting that saw more than one current House Democrat lose primary races.

Now, the DCCC leader finds himself in a race that the Fox News Power Rankings have moved from Lean Democratic to Toss-Up.

Cook Political Report has also changed the race from leaning Democrat to "toss up."

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Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney prepares for an interview in the Capitol on Sept. 27, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The typically blue New York is also seeing a tight race for governor, with Republican challenger Rep. Lee Zeldin running a close race against incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul. Lawler said Monday that he believes Zeldin will pull off the upset.