WASHINGTON — The Republican Party has raised the white flag before the battle even began in a half dozen congressional races in New York City and Westchester — where the GOP hasn’t bothered to field any challengers.
Among the Democrats getting a free pass is Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks, repeatedly voted “one of the most corrupt members of Congress” by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Even the usual minor party candidates are taking a pass in Meeks’ district, so he’ll be running unopposed in the Nov. 6 election.
Voters in The Bronx’s 16th district will also have but a single choice: Democrat Eliot Engel.
Reps. Grace Meng of Queens; Nydia Velazquez and Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn and Nita Lowey of Westchester face only third-party rivals who have little chance.
Republicans leaders offered a long list of excuses for the party’s whiffing of the election: scant resources, lackadaisical local leadership, a national party with its focus elsewhere – and the fact that there are simply not enough Republican voters in New York to make it count.
Ed Cox, the state GOP chair, pointed to the obvious issue — that New York City, with the exception of Staten Island, is super blue.
“We try and maybe in certain circumstances, a scandal or something, you have a shot at it,” he said. “But you need to have a good candidate in advance before a scandal takes place.”
But he insisted the GOP is rebuilding in New York City and that he’s finally pleased, since taking his position in 2009, with all five county chairs.
Other GOP party leaders admitted it’s tough to take on popular Democrats.
“We put our resources into the district we can win,” said Doug Colety, chair of the Westchester County Republican Committee.
“It’s very difficult for us, as a county committee, to go in and take on those two entrenched incumbents, meaning Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel,” Colety said.
Of the three Congressional districts that cover Westchester county, Republicans are putting their resources toward ousting Democratic Rep. Sean Maloney by putting up James O’Donnell, a local legislator.
The daunting Democratic advantage in voter registrations — they outnumber Republicans 6 to 1 in New York City — hasn’t stopped every GOP hopeful.
Lutchi Gayot is challenging Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke in Brooklyn’s 9th congressional district, where GOP registered voters make up a puny 7 percent.
“You have your national Republicans, you have Republicans in different places, but you get together as a party, just like the Democrats do it,” he said.
Christine Parker, a Brooklyn Republican who ran for City Council in 2017 and lost, said she’s frustrated because she sees no signs the GOP is trying to build from the bottom up.
“We’re going to have no national if we don’t do something locally,” she told The Post. “We’re going to have no national because there’s no candidates being prepared and primed – not saying that there aren’t good possible candidates out there, but are they being educated properly? No. Are they being tracked like in any other industry? No. Sought after? No. Encouraged? No. Supported? No.”
She pointed to local Brooklyn GOP leadership, but also spread the blame around.
“And everybody is so busy scrambling for themselves and their little piece of the pie in the Republican Party nothing gets done, quite frankly,” Parker said.