March Madness still afflicts the Empire State’s politics, as Kathy Hochul has doubled back to Elise Stefanik’s soon-to-be empty congressional seat in upstate New York. Specifically, she has chosen to “slow-walk” the process of holding a special election to replace Stefanik, ensuring the seat is empty for as long as possible. Voters are sick of Hochul’s crony conduct. If Republicans take steps to inform voters of Hochul’s swampy conduct they can gain momentum and potentially retake the Executive Mansion in 2026.

To start, Hochul supported a bill that would have left Stefanik’s seat empty for up to a year once she was confirmed by the Senate. Then, she killed the bill and denied her connection to this undemocratic plot. Now Hochul is again taking steps to deny the residents of New York’s 21st Congressional District their constitutionally mandated representation in Congress by promising to “slow walk” the process to replace her.

This reeks of backroom political dealing. Hochul was using the special election bill as leverage to keep the wildly unpopular congestion pricing alive. Unfortunately for her, President Trump is not as keen to engage in the kind of deals she’s accustomed to, and now that he has killed that measure, Hochul is retaliating. This corrupt politicking has hurt Hochul’s popularity, and Republicans must capitalize.