A special election for the NY-19th Congressional seat is scheduled for Tuesday, August 23 between Democrat Pat Ryan and Republican Marc Molinaro. The winner will serve out the remaining four months of Rep. Antonio Delgado’s term, who was tapped by NY Gov. Kathy Hochul to serve as her Lieutenant Governor.

The election next week is being held under the current district boundary lines while the election on November 8 will be in a newly drawn district. Molinaro is running the 19th district in both the Special and November elections while Ryan is running for the NY-19th in the special election and come November he will be running in the redrawn NY-18th district.

Democrat Pat Ryan is currently serving as the Ulster County Executive, a position he has held since 2019. He is a fifth-generation Ulster County resident, and after graduating from Kingston High School he attended West Point and later served two tours of duty in Iraq as an Army Intelligence Officer. After leaving the military, he founded a small technology company in the county, which he grew to more than 150 employees. Pat lives in Gardiner with his wife, Rebecca and their two sons, Theo and Cameron.

Ryan has made defending a woman’s right to choose a focus of his campaign, with his signs pointing out that ‘choice is on the ballot.’ He has promised to work to pass common sense gun policies to protect children; make investments in the district’s communities by expanding broadband and by lowering housing costs; suspend the gas tax and hold corporations accountable for price gouging and is willing to take on corporate polluters in order to protect our water and clean air.

Ryan said we need to invest in our roads and bridges, expand rail, help workers with training and technology so they can compete for good jobs, revitalize small businesses by reducing regulatory burdens while improving access to capital; ensure that equal work means equal pay regardless of gender; and move forward to expand equal rights for LGBTQ communities, especially in healthcare, housing, employment and education. He promises to embrace clean energy alternatives to help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels while creating good jobs in the district. He firmly believes that in the process we should end subsidies to fossil fuel companies.

Ryan said the economy is not favoring the working class and blames corporations for helping themselves to more than their fair share. He would work toward a ‘people-centered’ economy that provides child care, affordable housing and more investment in the district’s infrastructure.

Republican Marc Molinaro is in his third term as the County Executive of Dutchess County. He was a former Mayor of Tivoli, NY and at the age of 19 was the youngest mayor in the United States. He was re-elected to this position five times and has also served in the Dutchess County Legislature. In 2006 he was elected to the New York State Assembly, representing the 103rd district and served until 2011.

Molinaro is married to Corinne Adams and together with their two children they reside in Red Hook, NY. He also has two children with his first wife.

Molinaro said he has worked hard to ensure that taxpayers keep more of their hard earned money while receiving the highest quality services.

“I will take the same mentality to Washington and fight to reduce the burden on the people of upstate. We must ease the impact of historic inflation, allow businesses to better invest in growth and high-paying jobs, unlock the productive capacity of the United States economy and open the door to opportunity for all Americans,” he said.

As County Executive, Molinaro delivered his eighth straight property tax reduction, cutting the tax levy by $5.5 million – the largest tax cut in County history – and the seventh consecutive property tax rate decrease for homeowners and businesses, cutting the rate by 10 percent, all without reducing services to residents.

Molinaro led a fiscal revival by turning the $40 million budget gap Dutchess County Government faced when he began his tenure, into a $60 million fund balance entering 2022.

Under Molinaro’s leadership, Dutchess County spends 28 percent less per capita than the statewide county average; has a tax levy that is 27 percent lower per capita than the statewide county average; and has outstanding debt that is 50 percent lower per capita than the statewide county average.

Molinaro opposes bans on assault rifles and is personally against abortion. He initially considered the constitutional right to abortion settled law but now believes it is up to the states. He has indicated that he will vote against any federal law that would ensure abortion access nationwide and is also on record opposing a nationwide ban.