Nikki Haley blasts Trump over Republicans' costly special election loss
Charleston, South Carolina - Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley and her campaign have argued that Donald Trump is to blame after New York Republicans lost a special election that cost them a House seat.
According to Business Insider, a spokesperson for Haley's campaign shared a statement after Democrat Tom Suozzi was declared the winner over Republican candidate Mazi Pilip in the election to fill the seat left vacant after former Rep. George Santos was voted out of Congress.
"Let's just say the quiet part out loud. Donald Trump continues to be a huge weight against Republican candidates," the statement said.
"Despite the enormous and obvious failings of Joe Biden, we just lost another winnable Republican House seat because voters overwhelmingly reject Donald Trump.
"Until Republicans wake up, we will continue to lose," the statement continued. "Time for a new generation of conservative leadership that doesn't turn off the American people."
The campaign's reaction also came after Trump, in response to the loss, claimed the party and Pilip lost because they did not publicly support him enough, which he argued caused MAGA voters to "stay home."
The loss was a heavy hit to the party, which needed to keep the seat red to help maintain its slim majority in Congress, which now stands at 219-213 with three vacancies.
Cover photo: Collage: MARK WILSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & Allison Joyce / AFP