CNN analyst Van Jones mocked Donald Trump on Tuesday for turning Republicans against early voting after the party suffered another loss in a special election, this time in New York.
During the network’s broadcast of the results, Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist, noted that Democrats in New York’s 3rd congressional district had an advantage over Republicans heading into election day because they voted early while Republicans had to face bad weather on election day.
“Voting early, voting by mail, ballot harvesting, getting your votes in, it looks to me like the Democrats here crushed in the early voting in Nassau where the Republicans had to do well, and you’re always just one snowstorm away from some kind of a turnout problem,” Jennings said, adding, “a big part of it is the Republican Party remains resistant to getting votes in the bank.”
“Who could have possibly given the Republicans the idea that it’s not a good idea?” anchor Anderson Cooper asked.
“Who could have given you such a stupid strategy?” Jones interjected. “I’m just trying to think to myself, is there someone who’s just a perpetual loser, who loses over and over again, who also has a losing strategy when it comes to not voting early? Do you have, sir, any idea?”
Trump and his allies repeatedly criticized early voting in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, which he lost. The party also underperformed in the 2022 midterm elections.
On Tuesday, democrat Tom Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip in a special election to replace expelled Republican Rep. George Santos. Suozzi’s victory is a significant blow to House Republicans already narrow majority.
