New York State’s 19th Congressional District: Who are Marc Molinaro and Josh Riley?

NEW YORK – This Election DayNew York voters are choosing between Republican Marc Molinaro and Democrat Josh Riley for the U.S. House seat that represents the state’s 19th Congressional District.

The race for NY-19, representing parts of the Hudson Valley, Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions, is considered one of the most competitive in the entire United States. Politician called it “the nastiest thing in New York”, and excess advertising spending made it most expensive in the state.

Here’s what you need to know about the candidates, what the polls say and how track 2024 election results from New York’s 19th congressional district.

NY-19 Election Results

What the polls say

It is considered one of the hottest House races in the 2024 elections. Cook’s Political Report rating NY-19 as a “toss-up”. 538 also forecast this race will be neck and neck.

According to a recently published survey from NewsChannel 13/ReviewUSARiley leads Molinaro by four points.

In 2022, Molinaro narrowly defeated Riley in the NY-19 race by 1.6% — just under 4,500 votes, according to Associated Press vote tallies.

Who is Rep. Mark Molinaro?

Molinaro entered politics as soon as he was old enough to vote—at just 19 years old, he was elected mayor of Tivoli, Dutchess County, making him the youngest mayor in the country at the time, he said. campaign website.

He climbed the New York State Republican political ladder. After five terms as mayor, he was elected to the Dutchess County Legislature, then served in the state assembly and then as county executive. In 2018, he unsuccessfully ran against Andrew Cuomo for governor of New York.

Throughout his political career, Molinaro had a reputation as a contrarian and courted moderate voters while distancing himself from former President Donald Trump.

But according to New York TimesDuring this campaign, Molinaro pivoted to the right, a shift noticed by allies and voters alike. He expressed support for Trump’s harsh anti-immigration policies and even general conspiracy theories over the Republican candidate’s debunked claims that Haitian immigrants were eating the pets of Springfield, Ohio residents.

“The public is angry right now,” Molinaro told the Times, defending his political turnaround. “And the people I represent are furious.”

He lives with his wife and three children.

Who is Josh Riley?

Riley was born and raised in Endicott, an upstate New York town near Binghamton. According to him campaign websiteRiley’s political career was inspired by his childhood: watching local factories close and seeing “his community struggling while Wall Street enjoyed soaring corporate profits.”

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Riley joined the practice as an attorney in private practice. His policy experience includes serving as a policy analyst at the Department of Labor, staff assistant to former Rep. Maurice Hinchey, and general counsel to former Sen. Al Franken, WSKG. reported.

Riley has been open to criticism of his Democratic colleagues, especially on immigration issues, and touted his bipartisan efforts as general counsel. Molinaro used Riley’s background to portray him as part of the “corporate elite.”

He now lives in Ithaca with his wife and two children.

Where do the candidates stand?

Immigration

Riley has distanced himself from the Biden administration on immigration and border security, criticizing his party for being “too slow to address the border issue.” According to VSKGRiley called for more border patrol in some areas and “more immigration judges.”

“Number one, secure the damn border. Submit technology. Remove it from the shelves. Go do your job. Pay for the technology to get to the border and detect fentanyl. Pay for it. Do it. I’m coming in, Riley said during the candidates’ debate on October 10.

Meanwhile, Molinaro linked Riley to Democratic border politics, blaming them for violent crimes such as the Albany rape and Rochester murder.

Molinaro leans heavily on anti-immigrant MAGA sentiment, pointing to the migrant crisis in New York. in attack ads against your opponent.

“I voted for the strongest border security policies in generations, and (President Joe Biden) chose not to negotiate, not engage, and instead look the other way,” Molinaro said during the Oct. 10 debate.

Economy

Citation As his family faced industrial decline and “greedy corporations,” Riley made fighting corruption and the economy a priority of his campaign. He promises to work to cut taxes for the middle class and require “the rich and large corporations to pay their fair share.”

Molinaro, meanwhile, said he would fight inflation by “prioritizing productivity, encouraging innovation and investment, supporting families, and expanding opportunity for low-income people and EBT/SNAP.”

Abortion

Riley criticized Molinaro for repeatedly voting to make abortion more difficult and suggested that Molinaro would vote for a national abortion ban, which he denies.

“The decision… should be left to the woman and the doctor, not Washington… I oppose a national ban and remain committed to opposing a national ban,” Molinaro said.

“He’s lying to you,” Riley shot back during the Oct. 10 debate.