Credit: Alison Esposito Campaign
As voters in New York’s 18th Congressional District prepare to head to the polls, they will decide between two candidates with differing approaches to the district’s future. Covering Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties, the district has remained competitive in recent election cycles. Democratic incumbent Pat Ryan is seeking re-election, emphasizing his legislative work and military service. His Republican opponent, Alison Esposito, a former NYPD deputy inspector and commanding officer, is focusing her campaign on public safety and law and order. The New Pine Plains Herald interviewed both candidates to provide insights into their positions on the key issues shaping this election.
Alison Esposito spent nearly 25 years in the New York City Police Department, rising to the rank of deputy inspector and commanding officer of the 70th Precinct, in Brooklyn. Born and raised in Highland Mills, N.Y., Esposito followed in the footsteps of her father, NYPD Chief Michael Esposito, developing a lifelong commitment to public service. Esposito held various leadership roles in the NYPD, including serving on a SWAT team and commanding detective squads. She retired in June 2022 to pursue political office, citing concerns over public safety and dissatisfaction with leadership in both Albany and Washington.
Esposito is running for the congressional seat currently held by Democrat Pat Ryan, who defeated Republican Colin Schmitt in 2022 with 50.7% of the vote (135,245 votes out of 266,898 total). Esposito’s political career began in 2022 when she ran as the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor alongside gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. The Zeldin-Esposito ticket focused on law and order, crime reduction and opposition to progressive policies. While the campaign generated significant attention it ultimately fell short to Kathy Hochul and Antonio Delgado, who received 52.85% of the vote. Despite the loss, Esposito built statewide recognition, which she now draws upon in her bid for Congress.
Reflecting on her decision to leave the NYPD, Esposito cited what she describes as a growing atmosphere of scrutiny toward the police. “I saw my officers go out every single day with fear in their eyes — not fear of losing their life, but fear of losing their jobs and potentially their freedom for doing the job that society needs them to do,” she said in a recent interview with the Herald. She criticized the portrayal of police officers in the media, saying that officers were unfairly depicted as “public enemy number one.”
“I’m focused on what matters most to New Yorkers and American citizens. And right now, that’s public safety, law and order, the migrant crisis, our economy, our children’s education,” she said.
Immigration reform is a key component of Esposito’s platform. She is critical of the Biden administration’s approach to border security, arguing that lax policies have exacerbated the crisis at the Southern border. Esposito supports increasing the number of Border Patrol agents and completing construction of a border wall. She criticized Ryan for voting against the Laken Riley Act, which required the Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal immigrants who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting. She also disputed claims that former President Donald Trump blocked a bipartisan senate immigration bill in 2024, describing the bill as an effort to codify what she called “reckless” immigration policies enacted by the Biden administration.
In addition to immigration, Esposito is focused on economic issues, particularly energy costs, which she said have been driven higher by the Biden administration’s policies. She said that the Biden administration’s decision to cancel the Keystone Pipeline project and other energy policies have led to increased reliance on foreign oil and rising energy costs. “We can be energy independent, and we should be energy independent,” she said, advocating fracking the Marcellus and Utica shales to increase domestic production. Esposito added that by reducing energy costs and cutting taxes on small businesses, New York can foster economic growth and create jobs.
On the issue of abortion, Esposito said that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has shifted the matter to the states. “Abortion is codified in New York state well beyond the protections of Roe,” she said, adding that as a congressional officeholder she would not have the authority to change state laws. Esposito also said she does not support a federal abortion ban and emphasized her belief in “reasonable exceptions” to restrictions on abortion, including cases involving rape, incest and threats to the life of the mother.
Credit: Alison Esposito Campaign
“I want to provide more resources to women, not less. Whether it’s financial resources, emotional support, anything that I can do. Child tax credits, reducing taxes on items that are purchased, whether it be strollers or formula. I want to help women choose life when they can. I believe that abortion should be safe. It should be rare and it should not be used as a means of birth control.”
Esposito’s stance on climate change centers on balancing environmental sustainability with economic realities. “We are leading the way in the world with our carbon footprint reduction,” she said, contending that other countries need to match the United States’ efforts. Esposito said she supports a diversified energy approach that includes both renewable energy and traditional sources like oil and natural gas but raised concerns about the ability of current infrastructure to handle the transition to electric energy.
Esposito criticized government energy mandates, arguing that the grid is not yet capable of supporting a full transition to electric energy without overburdening taxpayers. “We are not anywhere near there and it’s being forced down the American public’s throat at our own peril,” she said.
When asked about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when an estimated 140 police officers were assaulted by rioters at the U.S. Capitol, Esposito said, “January 6th was a horrible day. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I couldn’t believe we had resorted to this.”
A report published by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol asserts that former President Donald Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol. And while Trump still maintains he did not lose the election, Esposito acknowledged that he did. “Oh, yes, absolutely, I accept the fact that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election,” she said.
Esposito went on to condemn political violence during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, which she said did not receive the same level of attention. “A rioter is a rioter,” she said, highlighting her experience as an NYPD officer during those protests.
“I was in New York City for 72 hours during the first 72 hours of those riots, and that’s exactly what they were,” she said. “It was charge and retreat, where Molotov cocktails were being thrown into the vehicles that my cops were sitting in, where I myself got hit in the head with a kitchen cabinet that came off a roof, that we had to defend our cities and our innocent people and our businesses, whether they be White-owned, Asian-owned, Black-owned or Hispanic-owned, it didn’t matter.”
Esposito has been a strong advocate for reversing changes to New York’s criminal justice system, including the cashless bail policy. “We stopped holding criminals accountable for their actions,” she said, contending that such reforms have created a “revolving door of justice” by preventing judges from considering factors like dangerousness when setting bail. While these are primarily state-level issues, Esposito frames them as part of a broader debate over public safety that affects all Americans. “A society that doesn’t have law and order cannot exist,”’ she said, emphasizing that her experience managing precincts and overseeing personnel has prepared her for a leadership role in Congress.
During her time with the NYPD, Esposito was named in two lawsuits involving allegations of excessive force and wrongful arrests. In a 2005 case that involved three Black women shopping at an H&M clothing store, the plaintiffs accused Esposito and other officers of having “assaulted and battered plaintiffs, used unnecessary and excessive force upon plaintiffs, unlawfully detained plaintiffs, falsely arrested plaintiffs, unlawfully imprisoned plaintiffs, and falsely accused plaintiffs of crimes they did not commit.” In another case, brought in 2017, Esposito was accused of unlawfully arresting an infant. New York City settled the first case for $95,000 and the second for $25,000. Though the cases resulted in settlements by the city, Esposito’s campaign denies any wrongdoing.
Esposito described her campaign as part of a broader “common-sense wave,” which she believes crosses party lines. “I don’t believe that this is going to be a red wave. I think that this is a common-sense wave, and I think this is a red, white and blue wave,” she said, asserting that voters from across the political spectrum are looking for solutions that prioritize public safety and economic recovery.
“For the last 16 years, 12 have been in Democrat control,” Esposito said. “And we unfortunately now are less prosperous, less secure. We have no footing on the world stage. There are wars that are raging across the globe. When you have a strong America and you have peace through strength, a prosperous America, then stuff like this does not happen. And I think the American people realize that and they don’t want to be brought farther and farther to the left by people like Pat Ryan, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
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 18th Congressional District, read the Herald’s profile of Pat Ryan.