Candidate Profile 2024: Pat Ryan Running To Return To The House

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — In 2024's general election, residents of the Hudson Valley will be voting for federal, state and local officials. In anticipation, Patch asked candidates in the region's contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Rep. Pat Ryan is a familiar face in Hudson Valley politics, but his story starts long before his political career.

Born and raised here, he is a Kingston High School alum, and the first West Point graduate to represent the Academy in the U.S. House. Ryan served two combat tours in Iraq, earning two Bronze Stars.

Ryan went on to serve as Ulster County Executive, before his 2022 election to represent New York's 18th Congressional District.

Name: Congressman Pat Ryan
Education: United States Military Academy at West Point
Age: 42
Occupation: Dad to Theo and Cam, husband to Rebecca, and Congressman for NY 18!
Twitter: PatRyanuc
FB: PatRyanUC
Instagram: patryanforcongress

Why are you seeking this office?

I’ve got two young boys. Cam’s two. Theo’s five. I don’t want them growing up thinking the extremism and dysfunction we currently see down in DC is normal. I want them to be proud of their dad for pursuing public service. And that means modeling the behavior we should expect from all of our "politicians." A focus on community. Telling people the truth, even when they may disagree. Showing respect for everyone, regardless of partisanship. And most importantly, doing a lot less talking and a lot more listening to the people I have the honor of serving.

I’d like to think I’ve done that. Born and raised in the Hudson Valley, I learned at a young age that this is a community that takes care of each other, a community that thrives when we all thrive. The values learned from this community guided me to West Point, through two combat tours in Iraq, and back home to serve this community first as Ulster County Executive and now in Congress. I’ve been clear eyed about my mission from day one: serving you. Each day, my goal is to fight for Hudson Valley priorities and deliver results for you and your family. Never for one second do I take that opportunity and responsibility for granted.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

We’ve got more than enough mud-slinging in politics. Rather than tell you what I’m against, I’d like to talk about what I’m for. I’m running on a positive vision for the future of our Hudson Valley community, the type of community I want your kids and mine to grow up in. I’ve got a whole lot of thoughts on how to make that happen. And it boils down to three main goals for the Hudson Valley: more affordable, more safe, and more free.

Affordability absolutely comes first, so I’ll start there and address the other two pieces later on All across the Hudson Valley, families are sitting around their kitchen tables staring at a growing stack of bills – housing, childcare, groceries, utilities, gas – costs keep rising while wages and income have stayed stagnant. My top priority is lowering the cost of living to relieve that economic pressure.

That starts with housing costs. I recently introduced a bold agenda to attack every angle of the housing affordability emergency. I won’t go too far into the nitty gritty details, but it's 11 pieces of common-sense legislation to lower rents and mortgage rates, crack down on the Wall Street firms jacking up housing costs, and cut through red tape to let our towns and cities build in a way that makes sense for them. Passing this into law is a huge goal for the next Congress.
I only have so much space here, but I’ll run through a few other priorities, including:

• Lowering taxes, including by removing the SALT Cap and ending the ridiculous double taxation.
• Passing my bipartisan bill with Congressman Molinaro, the Lower Grocery Prices Act, to keep inflation in-check and go after price gouging.
• Holding big pharma accountable and lowering prescription drug costs with my "Stopping Pharmas Ripoffs" Act.

As County Executive, I cut the gas tax in half and implemented the largest property tax cut in 40 years. I promise I will continue to do everything I can to bring costs down.

What other issues are you addressing during your campaign?

I hit on affordability in the last answer, so I’ll address the other two main buckets here: more safe, and more free.

Our fundamental American freedoms are under attack, and we need all-hands-on-deck to defend them. That includes reproductive freedom, and passing legislation to protect abortion rights. That includes freedom from gun violence, and finally passing legislation to make sure the weapons I carried in combat are off our streets and out of our schools. That includes the freedom to breathe clean air and drink water, and passing legislation like my PFAS Action Act, removing every last lead pipe in our community, and holding corporate polluters accountable.

I’m also fighting for a safer Hudson Valley. Our local law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, and I consider it my job to get them the resources they need. That’s why I’ve secured millions of dollars for local law enforcement across all three of our counties, and why I will keep fighting next Congress to make sure they continue to get the support they deserve.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Washington DC is definitely chaotic, but I promise it’s nothing compared to two combat tours in Iraq!

Jokes aside, serving this community in Congress is the honor of a lifetime. Trust me, I know there’s a lot of work left to do. But I’m so damn proud of everything we’ve already accomplished together.

I’m dedicated to ensuring everyone gets the assistance they need, wherever they’re located. And we’ve done just that. Through my mobile constituent services office, the C.A.R.E.S Van, me and my team have visited all 82 towns, cities and villages in the district. We’ve helped thousands of constituents with everything from Social Security to VA benefits to passports, and returned nearly $30M in funds owed by the federal government. That’s government working the right way.

I’ve also worked with leaders across the district, regardless of political party, to bring tens of millions of dollars back to the Hudson Valley. Whether it be working with all 3 of our county sheriffs to fund local law enforcement, partnering with the mayors of Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and Newburgh to make sure everyone has clean drinking water, or securing $1M to combat veterans’ homelessness in Orange County, I’m pushing every day to deliver for our community.

That’s my promise to all of you. You might not agree with me on everything. But you will always know where I stand, my door will always be open, and nobody will fight harder for you and your family.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

At West Point, I learned there are only 3 acceptable answers to a question: Yes, no, and no excuse. That’s the mantra I try to live by everyday serving our community in Congress.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I’d like to briefly touch on border security as well, since I know that is top of mind for folks right now.

We have to restore order at our border. And I don’t think that should be about Democrats or Republicans. It’s a fundamental responsibility of a sovereign nation.

The issue, to be quite honest, is that there’s a ton of people down in DC who love to talk about fixing the problem, but not enough people who want to do the true work to actually get the job done. I know it sounds cynical, but unfortunately it really feels like a lot of my colleagues don’t want to fix the crisis at the border because then they’d lose their campaign talking points.

That applies to both sides. I’ve called out my own party when I think they’ve been wrong, including publicly demanding President Biden take executive action to secure the border. And I’ve called out Republicans as well, especially after Trump tanked a bipartisan bill, led by conservative Republican Senator Lankford, which would have hired thousands of additional border patrol agents.

In short, we need a lot less politicians, and a lot more patriots in Congress. Because the obvious need here is comprehensive immigration and border security reform, and that can only happen with bipartisanship.

That’s what I’ve been focused on, whenever and wherever possible.

I’m a cosponsor, alongside Congressman Lawler, of the only bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill, the Dignity Act. The bill includes $25B to secure the southern border and combat illicit fentanyl, hires thousands of new border officials, and includes a path to citizenship for those who have been living, working, following the law, and paying taxes in the United States for many years.

The status quo clearly isn’t working. I’ll keep working for common-sense, bipartisan solutions to both secure our border and fix our broken immigration system.