Dutchess County native Chris Drago handily won a primary bid to serve as the Democratic challenger to Republican incumbent Gregg Pulver for the county legislature’s District 19 seat in elections this November.
Drago, who was raised in Clinton Corners and now lives in Stanford, secured the candidacy after receiving nearly 78% of the votes in primary elections June 27. With light turnout reported across district polling stations in Pine Plains, Milan, Stanford, North East, and parts of Red Hook, Drago received 428 votes while his opponent, Claire Owens of Millerton, received 121. A write-in candidate received one vote. Ballots were also cast by early voting and voting by mail.
A digital marketing executive who served as Hewlett Packard’s head of global media, Drago was favored to win on primary day, having secured Democratic committee endorsements across the district. Drago said he was “humbled” by the win and thanked Owens for her campaign.
“The outpouring of support from the community has just been incredible,” he said. “I’ll be getting down to business very quickly and I’m looking forward to meeting as many District 19 voters, volunteers and business owners as possible. We’ve got some fun things planned for fall.”
Drago reiterated that his campaign will focus on the county’s commitment to using tax dollars to support infrastructure, housing and emergency services needs across Northern Dutchess. One of his recent campaign videos features his Aunt Fee, a Pine Plains resident who lives on her own. Drago says he “thought about her a lot” when deciding to run.
In running against Pulver on Nov. 7, Drago faces a seasoned incumbent who not only holds the district seat but also serves as the head of the 25-seat legislature, where Republicans currently enjoy a two-thirds voting majority. In 2021, Pulver defeated Drago’s primary rival, Owens, by 315 votes with 3,633 voters reporting.
Citing his own deep ties to the region, Drago said he’s confident district voters are looking for a candidate who can bring meaningful change on key issues. “I grew up in the area. My relationships run deep and people know me,” he said. “As I talk to more and more people during the campaign, I think they’ll see I’m the type of new leadership that this community really needs to be the best it can be.”
A second primary contest ended with James Rogers beating Joseph Egitto to claim the Working Families Party line in the general election, when both men will be vying to serve as the county’s Family Court Judge.
Rogers, a Democrat and a former state deputy district attorney for social justice, received 75 primary votes, narrowly edging out Egitto, a Republican and the Family Court incumbent, who received 67.
Both Rogers and Egitto are already guaranteed a spot on the ballot as the endorsed candidates for their respective parties. By securing his name on the Working Families Party line, Rogers is eligible to receive votes from the 1004 registered party members in Dutchess County, 36 of whom reside within District 19.