New York

‘You Can't Sit With Us' — NY Democrat Elected on GOP Line Forced to Sit Alone in Assembly: Report

A Democrat ran for his state assembly seat on the GOP line and won -- and now he's getting the "Mean Girls" treatment.

Assemblyman Eric Bohen was elected last month in a special election in Buffalo, but according to the New York Times, he's been left stranded on the assembly floor, thanks to the manner in which he got elected.

After arriving for his first day on Monday, Bohen found that his desk had been placed on its own, both separated from the Democrats and Republicans, according to the Times.

"I said, 'This is a little strange, this desk,'" Bohen, 35, told the Times. "There’s nothing on the left, there’s nothing on the right. There’s just this trash can." 

Assembly speaker Carl Heastie, who is in charge of seating assignments, said, "I think the message that we want to send is that you should run as a Democrat and sit as a Democrat."

The Democrats may just be trying to prove a point -- and eventually welcome Bohen onto their side of the room.

Bohen has kept a good humor about the placement, saying that he is plans to decorate his desk with "desert-island" ornaments.

"Next week," he said, "I’m going to bring a little palm tree." 

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