Candidate Profile: Jamie Cheney For Democratic Primary CD 19

MILLERTON, NY — There aren't many races in the Aug. 23 primary this time around. But one that is contested is the Democratic primary for Congressional District 19.

Patch asked candidates in the race to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as soon as they are received.

The newly drawn Congressional District 19 covers 11 counties in part or whole: Broome, Chenango, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins and Ulster.

Jamie Cheney is running to be the Democratic nominee for CD 19 against Josh Riley. Whoever wins the primary will face Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro in the November general election.

Cheney, 43, lives in Millerton with her husband and three sons. She is the founder of Prokanga and the owner/operator of Falcon's Fields. She has a bachelor's degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Campaign website

https://www.jamiecheney.com/

Why are you seeking this office?

Too often, policy is made for the big cities and doesn’t consider our small urban centers and rural communities. As the operator of a 70 head cattle farm and business owner myself, I am all too aware of the gaps that exist in government services and economic opportunities in this region.

I’ve built a career advocating on behalf of working families, getting them the rights and benefits they need. This includes things like healthcare, expanded childcare and flexible work hours. I’m running for Congress to do that same advocacy work for the people of NY-19, and also to be a passionate voice for the right to choose, comprehensive gun reform and combat climate change.

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

This district has a slight Republican margin. That means if everyone votes their party line, Republicans will win this seat. And in this election, that means an anti-choice, anti-gun reform, anti-climate Representative will be serving this district in Washington.

I can get the crossover votes needed to hold this seat in November without compromising on my core beliefs. And that's the major difference between us.

I am quite vocal about the fact that I am alive today because of abortion as healthcare. Frankly, the vast majority of this district is looking for someone who will protect the right to choose, and my lived experience has already led to voters across the aisle saying I've inspired them to vote Democratic in the fall.

I am also actively involved in this state's agricultural community. Farmers are sick and tired of hearing about big policy handed down from Washington that doesn't address the real issues on the ground. This is a second natural community for me to widen the Democratic tent. I will always fight for our small urban centers and rural towns, because I know they are the heart of NY-19.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

As I mentioned earlier, three issues stand above the rest in this district. They are protecting a woman's right to choose, enacting meaningful gun reform and bringing down the cost of living. I would actually add a fourth, combatting climate change.

These are the issues I hear about most on the doors, and I am uniquely qualified to tackle all of them.

As a woman who is only alive today because of abortion as healthcare, I will never relent in my fight to protect reproductive rights. And with endorsements from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, National Institute for Reproductive Health Action Fund, EMILY's List, Vote Mama and Elect Democratic Women, the entire pro-choice movement has recognized that fact.

As the mother of three boys who have active shooter drills more often than soccer practice, I am fully dedicated to an assault weapons ban. Moms Demand Action granted me their candidate distinction because they know I will be a voice for gun reform. And as a gun-owner myself, I am ready to have that conversation with voters across the district with a sense of authority and understanding that most Democrats do not possess.

As the founder of a business that advocates for working parents to get the resources they need to be successful, specifically expanded healthcare, childcare and flexible work hours, I am more than ready to bring that same advocacy to Washington. I will work tirelessly on behalf of the working people of NY-19 to bring the cost of living down by taking that same 360 degree approach to all budget items impacting families' wallets.

And as the owner/operator of a 70 head cattle farm whose very existence is dependent on weather stability, I am as motivated as anyone to combat climate change. I see this as an area for true bipartisan agreement. Everyone in NY-19 shares a common love and connection to our sense of place. We just need to get all parties to the table. Together, we will bring NY-19 into the 21st Century Green Economy and provide good paying jobs for the unions and local farmers that are the core of this district.

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

I believe I have touched on my experience throughout, but to recap:

I grew up in a family driven by public service. My father, Jay Flaherty, was the deputy mayor of Philadelphia at a challenging time for the city following the MOVE bombing. Doing everything possible for our community, no matter how hard or uncomfortable, was dinner time conversation throughout my childhood. It made me a fighter and someone who believes that no institution or tradition or law or policy is too big to change.

I then went to Yale for undergrad and Harvard Business School for graduate school. Most of my classmates went on to work in investment banking or other places on Wall Street. I chose a different direction.

As a young mother, I saw first hand the struggles women had in the workplace as they balanced the demands of work and family and those childhood lessons of standing up for change kicked in. I jumped right into the fray and founded a company whose mission was to help keep working parents in the workforce and provide them with things like flexible schedules and subsidized childcare. Ten years later, I have built a successful company that has helped ten of thousands of parents balance having a family and feeding that family.

That is how I operate. When I see existing structures that don't work, I identify solutions and bring people together to the table to build them.

I took that 360 degree approach to my cattle farm, and I will do the same in Washington.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

If you're not listening, you're not learning.

Editor's note: The candidate's responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity.