Election Excitement – A Spotlight On The State’s Most Contested Races
Early voting is underway, with two days left before a pause leading up to the official Election Day, November 5. All eyes among Democrats, Republicans, and Independent voters are focused on several New York congressional districts, including on Long Island, in the Hudson Valley and Catskills, in the Finger Lakes region, and in the Syracuse area in Central New York.
There are four congressional districts covering Suffolk and Nassau counties, and three of the four are hotly contested in this election. In Suffolk County’s first district, the congressional race pits incumbent Republican Nick LaLota, 46, a veteran, lawyer, and businessman, against Democrat John Avlon, a journalist who started his career as a speechwriter for Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
In the third congressional district, Democrat incumbent Tom Suozzi, 62, is in a heated battle against Republican Michael LiPetri, 34, a former state assemblyman and lobbyist. While Suozzi has outpaced LiPetri in fundraising, the incumbent claims he is locked in a tough race. Both candidates are strong supporters of Israel. This seat was once held by disgraced Congressman George Santos, 36, the first Republican expelled from Congress. In August, Santos pleaded guilty to identity theft and wire fraud.
The fourth district features incumbent Republican Anthony D’Esposito, 42, and Democrat Laura Gillen, 55, in a rematch from two years ago when Gillen lost to D’Esposito by a few percentage points. In a pitch for additional funds, she claims she is behind in the polls once again.
One of the most hotly contested races is between Black progressive Democrat Mondaire Jones, 37, who identifies as openly gay, against incumbent Republican Mike Lawler, 38, a staunch supporter of Israel and a favorite of the Orthodox Jewish community in Rockland and Westchester counties. This is a rematch from two years ago when Lawler defeated Jones who was the incumbent.
The most expensive congressional race in the country features a rematch between incumbent Republican Marcus Molinaro, 49, and 43-year-old Josh Riley. The sprawling district at issue includes nine counties in three media markets and parts of two other counties; the are covers the Hudson Valley, Catskills, the Southern Tier, and the Finger Lakes.
Molinaro is a strong supporter of Israel. He has also branded himself as the defender of people on the autism spectrum. He touts his bipartisanship in the same vein as Lawler’s attempts to bring together both parties on important legislation. Molinaro was rated as the second most bipartisan member of the U.S. House by independent public policy institutions.
Riley is a one-time general counsel to U.S. Senator Al Franken (D – Minnesota) who was on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Molinaro has charged that Riley’s law firm, though not Riley specifically, has aided China. Riley’s campaign TV ad countered with charges that Molinaro’s votes were helping China. This battle has gotten ugly.
Another close race is between incumbent Republican Brandon Williams, 57, and Democratic challenger John Mannion, 56, who serves in the New York State Senate. Mannion is giving up his Senate seat in an attempt to defeat Williams.
Also vying to keep his job is two-term incumbent Democrat Pat Ryan, 42, who is running against Alison Esposito, 43. She was Lee Zeldin’s running mate two years ago in the gubernatorial race. Esposito, a 25-year veteran of the NYPD, is an openly gay candidate and a strong supporter of Israel.
All of the above contested races are likely to be decided by one or two percentage points. A victory will depend upon which candidate does the better job of getting out the vote.
In the Ryan-Esposito race, Esposito is hammering away on Ryan’s weak stance towards law enforcement and securing the southern border.
“If you look at our southern border, it is wide open and people are flowing across it every day. The Biden-Harris administration and my opponent Pat Ryan have failed to secure it,” Esposito told The Jewish Press. “Pat Ryan continuously votes for bad policy. He’s not serious about securing our border. When he was an Ulster County executive, he made Ulster County a sanctuary county, refusing to cooperate with ICE, refusing to cooperate with law enforcement. The people of this district are ready for public safety. They’re ready to back law enforcement. They’re ready to stand up and say no, boys can’t play in girls’ sports. They are sick of the attack on women. Women don’t only care about their reproductive freedom.
“[What about] the freedom for your kid to go to a party and not overdose on fentanyl that’s pouring across our southern border? What about the children that have been trafficked into this country? There are 300,000 kids that we lost, that are not accounted for, that we don’t know what kind of hell they wake up to every day. Not to mention the wars that are going on around the world,” Esposito concluded.
Esposito also expressed her support for Israel. Referring to the October 7 attack, she said, “If anything, that actually invigorated me to be more of a fighter. I walked through history in Israel. I made friends over there. Israel has every right to defend themselves. That war can end today if Hamas laid down their weapons, surrendered and returned the hostages. Now we’re getting into a place in the world where we’re unstable on a multitude of facets. It’s only a matter of time when we can experience, G-d forbid, a world war. This is unacceptable. We must stand by the Jewish State. We must stand by our ally, Israel. Our greatest ally in the Middle East.
“My opponent did not condemn ‘from the river to the sea’ as violent hate speech. He didn’t come out and speak out against the colleges that were being held hostage by antisemites and activists that were making Jewish students afraid to go to school. How could you say you support Israel and the Jewish people of America when you’re allowing antisemitism and hate to run rampant? It’s just unacceptable.”
Pinchas Glauber, 25, a resident of Kiryas Joel in Orange County, is a supporter of Esposito and explained why he believes Ryan comes across as a phony. “There are a few bills right now that will have a huge impact on every person in the world and much more for the Jewish community. The first one is school choice. We are sending our children to private school. We all pay school tax and we pay a lot of money for tuition. I’m afraid for education. The antisemitism that is growing. It’s a shame,” Glauber told The Jewish Press. “Pat Ryan stands up at a debate and says Alison doesn’t know the Jewish community. Meanwhile he is campaigning with AOC [Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]. AOC is an example of a Jew-hater. It’s Pat Ryan who doesn’t know the Jewish community.”
Glauber, a Satmar chasid whose parents own and operate Glauber’s Bakery in Monsey, described Esposito as a person who “cares, listens, and tries to help.” He traveled an hour with children in tow to a recent rally for Esposito in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County. The rally was headlined by Esposito’s running mate in 2022, gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. Zeldin’s star power fizzled a bit when only 150 people attended, hardly filling up the large hotel ballroom where the event to inspire supporters took place.
The congressional district covers all of Orange County as well as most of Dutchess and Ulster counties, and includes the cities of Newburgh, Beacon, Kingston, and Poughkeepsie.
Republican Senate hopeful Patrick Sheehan, a Kingston resident, is trying to unseat a popular Democratic incumbent. Sheehan said that maintaining the GOP control of the House of Representatives is important if the White House is in Republican hands.
“If Trump goes to the White House and if Hakeem Jeffries is the Speaker [of the House], then we are lost. We will have two years of impeachments, indictments, litigation, and nothing will be accomplished. It’s an all-in or all-out kind of race. The only way we can effectively move forward is to move forward collectively,” Sheehan explained. “Pat Ryan is a formidable opponent to Alison. I think she’s the right person for the job. I think she has the capacity as well as the passion. I hope she can win. I’m all in on Alison. She’s out there just meeting people. It is a stark contrast from an imagery to a messaging perspective. Alison really does understand what the people in the district are looking for and that’s exciting. I think she’s a very effective orator and her heart is in the right place. I can’t say the same for Pat Ryan.”
In the other congressional races in the state, the incumbents are either unopposed or are facing weak opponents.
As for Sheehan’s own race for State Senate against Democratic incumbent Michelle Hinchey, the experience has been mixed since Sheehan did not qualify for matching funds because of a technicality in the paperwork submitted to the State Board of Elections. “The [Senate Republicans] have been supportive in terms of setting up my web presence, my digital and my media. That’s been very helpful. As far as money, they have not provided any resources,” Sheehan said. “Had the Senate Republican Campaign Committee or the New York State Republican Committee took up this fight [over the lack of matching funds], I believe this challenge would have been successful. But they didn’t.”
Sheehan, a realtor, was also dissed by the Realtors Association Political Action Committee (RPAC). “I was told ‘We give it to incumbents.’ I was told ‘We work with Michelle and even though you’re a realtor, we can’t give it to you since she is the incumbent.’ I may be the only realtor who is running for the New York State Senate. Apparently, that’s useless. I won’t be giving to RPAC in the future,” he declared.
He also criticized the Senate Republican Campaign Committee (SRCC). “[To] the staffers in Albany who work for the SRCC, you’re just another head of hair. Candidates come and go. Elected [officials] come and go. [Their attitude is that] we are institutional employees of the process and we don’t really [care]. That’s been my experience with running,” Sheehan said candidly. “You’re dealing with an institutional mentality and they are all guilty of that mentality. They are all in the same position.”
As for Sheehan’s future, he’s been reading the tea leaves and keeping his ears close to the ground to size up the future of the mid-Hudson Valley district. “I heard Pat Ryan, if he loses, could be eligible for three different roles. If Kamala wins, [Ryan] will take a low-level cabinet position. If that happens, Hochul will appoint Michelle Hinchey to Congress, which will open up a special [election in the state] senate race. Then I’ll give this race another shot,” he shared. “I’ve heard that Pat Ryan will run for governor in two years or sometime early next year and try to take out Hochul. I’ve also heard that Pat Ryan is being groomed to become our next U.S. Senator when [the state Democratic Party] pulls a Joe Biden on Chuck Schumer.”
So politics is likely to continue its rough and tumble ways for the near future. Stay tuned – it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
