Burgess Owens Deals Big Blow To Nancy Pelosi, Officially Unseats Dem For 12th GOP House Flip
Former NFL player Burgess Owens delivered a big blow to Nancy Pelosi Monday when he officially won his race to unseat Dem Rep. Ben McAdams, the only Democrat in Utah’s congressional delegation.
Owens is the twelfth GOP challenger to knockoff a Dem incumbent and there are more races too close to call so the number may go up. “I received a call from Ben McAdams, he expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve #UT04 and his commitment to a smooth transition,” Owens said.
“My sincere thanks to him for both. Thank you my fellow Utahns, I am committed to have an open ear to serve you. Thank you for the opportunity,” he added.
From The Daily Wire:
Owens took a slim lead over McAdams as outstanding ballots continued to be counted over two weeks after election day in Utah. Owens maintained a roughly 2,000-vote lead over the incumbent McAdams when he decided to concede the election.
Owens pick-up is a key victory for the GOP, and Utah Republicans may be able to put Owens’ soon-to-be seat out of reach of the Democrats, Cook Political Report House editor David Wasserman told Deseret News.
“It’s a heartbreaking loss for Democrats, considering the margin,” Wasserman said. “It’s possible Republicans could take this seat off the table for 2022 if they’re able to muscle through a map that protects Owens in the 2021 redistricting process.” Redistricting will be guided by the state’s Republican-dominated legislature.
Wasserman outlined the broader woes of the Democratic Party after Owens’ race was called, pointing out that Democrats have failed to win any of the toss-up seats as labeled by the Cook Political Report.
“It’s been almost two weeks since Election Day, and Democrats still haven’t won a *single one* of the 27 House races in [Cook Political Reports’] Toss Up column.
[Five] remain too close to call: #CA21, #CA25, #IA02, #NY02 and #NY22,” Wasserman said. “Republicans have also won 5 of the 18 races [Cook Political Report] rated as Lean D (28%), and 2 of the 18 races we rated as Likely D (11%).
In the 2018 ‘blue wave,’ Dems won 2 of the 29 races we rated as Lean R (7%), and 2 of the 29 races we rated as Likely R (7%).”
I received a call from @BenMcAdams he expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve #UT04 and his commitment to a smooth transition. My sincere thanks to him for both. Thank you my fellow Utahns, I am committed to have an open ear to serve you. Thank you for the opportunity
— Burgess Owens (@BurgessOwens) November 16, 2020