2 Congressional Districts Up For Grabs In Mid-Hudson Valley

MID-HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Two congressional races will bring the spotlight on the Hudson Valley Tuesday when the votes are counted for the general election.

Both the 18th Congressional District and the 19th Congressional District are contested and are comprised of new boundaries.

Democrat Pat Ryan is facing off with Republican Colin Schmitt for the new 18th Congressional District, which consists of Orange County and parts of Ulster and Dutchess counties.

The battle for the new 19th Congressional District is being waged by Marcus Molinaro, a Republican, and Josh Riley, a Democrat. The district is made up of all or part of Broome, Chenango, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Greene, Ostego, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins and Ulster counties.

Ryan, who lives in Gardiner, is already a congressman, having won the August special election — against Molinaro — to fill the vacancy in the current 19th Congressional District caused by Antonio Delgado’s appointment as lieutenant governor. Before the congressional election, Ryan was the Ulster County executive.

Listed on his website as priorities are protecting freedoms, such as reproductive rights for women and making sure voting rights are secure and investing in a greener future.

Schmitt, who has been an assemblyman since 2018, previously served as staffer to other Albany legislators as well as chief of staff for the town of New Windsor. He lives in New Windsor.

His campaign issues include fighting inflation, repealing the cashless bail law and strengthening border security.

Molinaro, who ran unsuccessfully in 2018 against Andrew Cuomo for governor, is the Dutchess County executive, a position held since 2012. The Red Hook resident has also served in the state Assembly and began his political career as village trustee and then mayor of Tivoli.

His priorities included reducing inflation and the cost of living, solving the country’s energy crisis, ending the opioid epidemic and addressing America’s mental health crisis.

Riley, who lives in Ithaca, is an attorney and has served as staff assistant to Rep. Maurice Hinchey, a U.S. Department of Labor policy analyst and general counsel to Sen. Al Franken on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

He wants to focus on defending and strengthening the country’s democracy, revitalizing the economy, reproductive rights for women and keeping communities safe from crime and gun violence.

Early voting in New York for the general election continues through Sunday, Nov. 6.

You can apply in person for an absentee ballot at your county’s Board of Elections until Nov. 7. Absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 8, with the ballot received by the Board of Elections no later than Nov. 15.

Absentee ballots may be dropped off at your local Board of Elections office no later than 9 p.m. Nov. 8. They may also be dropped off at early voting sites through Sunday or a polling site on Tuesday.

To confirm you are registered to vote and to find out where you can vote, use the Voter Lookup website. It will also give you a list of candidates who are on the ballot.

SEE ALSO:

• Candidate Profile: Democrat Josh Riley For Congressional District 19
• Candidate Profile: Republican Marc Molinaro For NY CD 19