Credit: Riley Campaign
As voters in New York’s 19th Congressional District prepare to head to the polls, they face a rematch between two candidates offering distinct visions for the future. Spanning a diverse region that includes Broome, Chenango, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, Tioga, and Tompkins counties, as well as parts of Otsego and Ulster counties, the district remains competitive, reflecting a mix of political ideologies.
Republican incumbent Marcus Molinaro, who won the seat in the 2022 midterms with 50.8% of the vote, is running for re-election on a platform emphasizing his experience in local government. His opponent, Democrat Josh Riley, who garnered 49.2% of the vote in that same election, is again focusing his campaign on rebuilding the middle class and curbing corporate influence in politics. Both Molinaro and Riley were first-time congressional candidates in 2022, making this rematch a continuation of their tightly contested race. The New Pine Plains Herald interviewed both candidates to provide insights into their positions on the key issues shaping this election.
Josh Riley, the Democratic candidate for New York’s 19th Congressional District, brings a deep connection to upstate New York to his campaign, having been born and raised in a working-class neighborhood in Endicott, a village near Binghamton. His family’s history is intertwined with the region’s industrial roots: His parents and grandparents worked in the IBM and Endicott-Johnson plants. But when the factories closed, Riley saw firsthand how his community struggled while corporate profits surged — an experience that shaped his political career and his commitment to fighting for those left behind.
Riley’s career has been marked by a focus on public service and advocacy for the vulnerable. He began as a policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Labor, where he worked to revitalize communities hurt by trade deals that shipped jobs overseas. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2007, Riley said he turned down offers from Wall Street to represent the American Academy of Pediatrics in a landmark civil rights case, helping children from low-income families access healthcare. He added that his work in the Senate Judiciary Committee as general counsel to Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) honed his focus on issues like campaign finance reform, protecting survivors of domestic violence and restoring voting rights.
“I grew up in a working-class neighborhood with a really tight-knit community and a really strong middle class,” Riley said in an interview with the Herald. “When my generation was coming up, we lost about 20,000 jobs, the opioid epidemic ripped through, the child poverty rate skyrocketed and, meanwhile, corporate profits soared.” These experiences, Riley said, are what drive his platform, which centers on campaign finance reform, ending corporate money in politics and rebuilding opportunities for working families.
Credit: Riley Campaign
Immigration has become a key issue in this rematch with Republican incumbent Marc Molinaro. Riley has criticized both parties for politicizing the issue and said that Molinaro is using it for political gain rather than seeking real solutions. Riley supported the bipartisan border bill that would have added 1,500 new Customs and Border Patrol agents and invested in technology to stop fentanyl trafficking but was blocked by Senate Republicans at the urging of former President Trump. “If [Molinaro] had actually done his job and supported that bill, the crisis would have been solved,” Riley said.
The cost of living is another central issue in upstate New York, where utility prices and inflation have hit hard. “I think a lot of the challenges we’re seeing with the cost of living and the affordability crisis today can all be traced to corruption in our political system,” Riley said. “Right now we have a political system where these big powerful special interests are using corporate PACs to pump a whole bunch of cash into the pockets of politicians who then go in and vote to help their bottom line, instead of ours.”
Riley believes addressing political corruption is key to solving economic problems and reducing inequality. His campaign refuses money from corporate political action committees, and he favors overturning the Citizens United ruling that struck down most rules about political donations by corporations. “It’s a vicious cycle of corruption, where the profits go up, the politicians get paid and people get screwed. It’s got to stop.”
On the issue of abortion, Riley said he fully supports reproductive rights. “My position is very, very clear: I’m pro-choice. I think women can make their own healthcare decisions.”
Climate change is another priority for Riley, who sees the fight against global warming as an opportunity to rebuild upstate New York’s economy. Endorsed by environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters, Riley emphasizes the need to invest in green technologies like solar panels and solar batteries, envisioning a future where upstate New York is a hub for renewable energy jobs. “We had, for over 100 years, made things that the world needed to meet some of its biggest challenges,” Riley said. “Right now, climate change is the biggest existential threat we’re facing.”
Riley said he is focused on rebuilding democracy and healing divisions. He believes that common concerns like affordable healthcare and economic opportunity unite people across the political spectrum. “What I find traveling across this district is that we are actually not nearly as divided as the political class would have us believe.”
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, with early voting available from Oct. 26 through Nov. 3. You can find your polling location here. For additional coverage of the race in New York’s 19th Congressional District, read the Herald’s profile of Marc Molinaro.