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"ALBANY - Zephyr Teachout is hitting back at one her fellow Democratic opponents for state attorney general, U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, after he gained national attention for taking the House to task for declining to reimburse his purchase of feminine hygiene products for female staffers. A spokeswoman for Teachout noted that four years ago, the lower Hudson Valley congressman crossed party lines to back a Republican, state Sen. Bill Larkin of Orange County, over Democrat and Newburgh City Councilwoman Gay Lee, while Teachout backed Lee, a pro-choice woman-of-color. A spokesperson for Maloney's office did not return a request for comment. Larkin, who is 90 years old and retiring at the end of the year, gets along with everyone in the district and has typically drawn support from Democrats and Republicans alike, a Senate GOP spokesperson said. Republicans who control the state Senate have been criticized by Democrats for repeatedly blocking the passage of the Reproductive Health Act (RHA), which would codify federal reproductive health protections into state law. That criticism has intensified in the wake of of President Donald Trump's recent nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for a position on the U.S. Supreme Court. \"We are seeing these videos of Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney being painted as a liberal ally to women, because he spent $37 on tampons for his staff, when there are things that he has done which acted against the best interest of this community, which was inevitably more harmful than the ability to access tampons,\" said Cristina Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for Teachout. The House Administration had initially argued that pads and tampons were a personal-care item and not an office supply. Maloney and Democratic Rep. Grace Meng successfully pushed for House rules to change and the items to be reimbursed, and hundreds of tampons were mailed to Maloney's office from around the country, Roll Call reported. Some local Democrats in Maloney's district took jabs at the congressman for positioning himself as a feminist over the tampon issue. \"I'm surprised it took six years in office until they tried to buy tampons, what have his female staffers been using until now,\" said Elisa Sumner, chairwoman of Dutchess County Democratic Committee. Sumner also slammed the congressman for backing a number of Republicans during his time in office, including endorsing Republican Robert Rolison for mayor of Poughkeepsie over Democrat Randy Johnson in 2015. \"A lot of the divisiveness and hatred spewed by Trump and his supporters is not new,\" she said. \"The Democrats are at fault for thinking it can't happen here and for being so bipartisan and not fighting back.\" Teachout is a Fordham Law Professor who, in 2014, launched a longshot bid for governor of New York. All Democratic candidates for attorney general, including Maloney, are pro-choice. Maloney has received flack for running for re-election in Congress while also launching a bid for statewide office -- the legality of which has yet to be determined."
<https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Teachout-campaign-blasts-Maloney-for-past-support-13078909.php>