Ryan believes his profile as a U.S. Military Academy graduate, combat veteran and Kingston native with deep roots in his hometown is the right mix to present progressive ideas, like single-payer healthcare and an assault weapons ban, to a largely rural district split near-evenly between Republicans, Democrats and non-party-enrolled voters.
Gareth Rhodes recently completed his Winnebago trip to all 163 towns in the NY-19. The Ulster County native and former Cuomo aide shares many positions with his competitors for the Democratic nomination. What makes Rhodes different is he spends just as much time talking about local issues that don’t map neatly on to the left vs. right divide, including the lack of a maternity ward in three counties in this district, dealing with falling numbers of volunteer EMTs and firemen and fixing sidewalks damaged by snow plows.
NY-19 candidate Dave Clegg says he is “one person removed from just about everyone I meet.” He’s been a Hudson Valley resident for 36 years, and he’s hoping those local connections are enough in a race against better-financed and more polished opponents who have spent little of their adult lives living and working in the district.
“I’m for those values I was raised with: compassion, understanding, sympathy and shared prosperity,” said Delgado, more than once.
The once radical idea of nationalizing the health-insurance industry and providing taxpayer funded health-care with no out-of-pocket expense at the point of contact has been embraced by the majority of House Democrats- and a majority of the candidates for New York’s 19th Congressional District.
The Ryan campaign said it had nothing to do with the polls, which were conducted by outside political action commitees. “We cannot coordinate with them. That’s illegal,” said Ryan campaign manager Tim Wagner.
Ulster County Democratic Party Chairman Frank Cardinale and his executive committee have decided “not to put a finger on the scale at this late date” by not offering a vote among the seven congressional contenders at last week’s annual party nominating convention.
The decision by nearly all of the county Democratic committees in New York’s 19th Congressional District to stay out of the battle royale for the party’s nomination has set off a scramble by the seven Democratic hopefuls to nail down endorsements from individual elected and party officials across the sprawling 11-county district.
A recent Rolling Stone article on the NY-19 Congressional race repeated the common fallacy that our congressional districts are gerrymandered. They’re not.
All seven Democratic congressional candidates vying for the 19th Congressional District nomination will meet for what may be last debate before the Primary at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 5 at Congregation Emanuel, 243 Albany Avenue in Kingston.