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August 7th, 2023 Political Note #580 Josh Riley, New York 19
2024 General Election
Let’s flip another seat in New York. Even if New York Democrats do not redistrict before the November, 2024 elections, there is a real chance they could produce the 5 seat shift needed to create a Democratic House of Representatives all by themselves.
Josh Riley was once a local in what is now New York’s District 19. He was born and raised in Endicott, New York which is about 10 miles along Route 17 west of Binghamton. An attorney and former Congressional Staffer Josh Riley will be the Democratic nominee for this Southern Tier district that stretches from the Finger Lakes to south of Albany. He is running again against first term Republican Congressman and former County Executive Mark Molinaro — the 9th most vulnerable Republican Congressman in the country according to Len’s List.
When Josh Riley was very young, Endicott was bustling. The Endicott – Johnson Shoe factory and the IBM plant kept people employed and relatively prosperous. Then the factories closed.
Josh Riley and his friends and neighbors watched the town’s decline. The shoe factories closed. So did the IBM plant. His parents; his uncle and his grandfather had worked for IBM. His grandmother had worked for Endicott-Johnson. His mom adjusted. She worked as a probation officer. So did his sister. She taught school. Not everyone adjusted. You can read Richard Russo’s novels about Upstate New York to understand.
Josh Riley got out of town for college. He went to William & Mary. After graduation, he went to Washington to work for his Democratic New York Congressman, Maurice Hinchey. From there Josh Riley went to Senator Ted Kennedy’s office to work on what turned out to be an unsuccessful effort to raise the minimum wage and then to the Labor Department where he worked on strengthening safety net programs like unemployment insurance. A law degree, especially a law degree from Harvard, would lead to greater expertise and responsibility in work on these kinds of issues.
Out of Law school, Josh Riley’s joined Boies. Schiller & Flexner’s (BSF) Miami office. He had come to work on a case, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics, to ensure that children from low income families could access health care. He did other work, too, for the firm. His Republican opponents mock Josh Riley’s blue collar claims by portraying him working at BSF and, later, Jenner & Block, as a corporate lawyer. Josh Riley was not the kind of corporate lawyer Republicans are familiar with.
After a clerkship with a federal Appeals Court judge, Josh Riley’s central experience was the three yeas he worked as Senator Al Franken’s General Counsel. The work for Franken was appealing and important. He could get proposals made into laws – protecting survivors of domestic violence from homelessness and providing new funding to deal with the opioid epidemic. Not all of the work was legislative. He and Senator Franken could oppose cable company mergers that threatened consumers in terms of cost and quality. They could investigate corporate exploitive misconduct.
While working with Senator Franken, not every effort was successful. He and his Senator could not restore elements of the Voting Rights Act or pass a constitutional amendment to prevent corporations from being treated as people as called for in the Citizens United US Supreme Court decision.
Josh Riley returned to private practice, but the work with Senator Franken created a longer term purpose. He would welcome an opportunity to serve in the United States Congress. With his wife, a woman of mixed South Asian and South American ancestry, and family Josh Riley moved home near Endicott and in 2022, ran for Congress. The districting created by a Republican Judge’s appointed master made the race tougher. Josh Riley’s loss was very close. He is convinced that, after watching the mess the Republicans have made of the House of Representatives, people in NY 19 and in districts throughout the country will be open to electing Democrats in 2024.
Issues will be important in this race that Josh Riley lost 50.1 – 49.9 in 2022.
On Agriculture: Josh Riley proposes to break up Big Ag monopolies to protect family farmers, to ensure small farmers have access to markets, to provide the human services support that farmers need, and to fix the immigration system so that small farmers can have access to the labor they need. Molinaro promises home delivery food service to Seniors in need.
On the Economy: Josh Riley sees the extraordinary profits of large corporations while everyone else struggles. He would seek ways to prevent corporations from adding to inflation by raising prices beyond what their costs have risen, end prescription drug cartels, and cap the cost of critical drugs as was begun with insulin. Molinaro is focused on digital assets, airports, and federal agency ombudsmen.
On Education: Josh Riley seeks more funding for music and art programs, science and technology programs, career focused programs, and greater support for kids ranging from meals to healthcare to counseling. Molinaro expresses support for ensuring parents are informed about their right to a special education IEP and the expansion of Head Start for early education for children of low-income families. He would prohibit federal funds from supporting the use of schools as shelters for immigrant families.
Regarding Seniors: Josh Riley would expand Medicare to cover hearing, dental, and vision services and lower the cost of prescription drugs. He would require the wealthy to pay their share for the cost of these programs. Molinaro would oppose cuts to Medicare and Social Security. That is not a small thing. After all, some of his Republican colleagues would eliminate Medicare and Social Security altogether.
There are issues Josh Riley addresses that Marc Molinaro just does not mention. Josh Riley describes the unfairness of our tax system and the tax cuts the wealthy have received. Molinaro does not address this.
Josh Riley describes the need to combat discrimination, to protect voting rights, and to help former prisoners become part of society. Molinaro addresses none of these.
Josh Riley proposes that we fix our immigration system by securing the border, help farmers and trade unions have access to immigrant workers, and, as a nation of immigrants, welcome new immigrants. Molinaro addresses none of these issues.
Josh Riley stresses the importance of women having control over their own health care. Molinaro does not address this issue.
Here is an issue Molinaro addresses that Josh Riley does not. Molinaro touts the reauthorization of the FAA, a bill for drone safety, and the inadequate broad band infrastructure upstate. Josh Riley might have mentioned that Marc Molinaro was not in Congress soon enough to support Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill which will be strengthening broad band access in rural areas throughout the country.
Every analyst sees this race as a toss-up. Help Josh Riley now. With early money, he gets a head start toward winning. He needs that head start. The incumbent entered July with a million dollars. Josh Riley began July with $600,000. This election could get expensive.
Other races in the Northeast where vulnerable Republicans can be flipped and we know who the Democratic nominee will be
New York 17 Former Congressman Mondaire Jones is the likely Democratic nominee. Send him some money. Len’s Political Note #579. He is running against Mike Lawton, a first year Republican incumbent, who is the 4th most vulnerable Republican Member of Congress according to Len’s List.
New York 22 Town official and technology expert Sarah Klee Hood is the likely Democratic nominee. Send her some money. Len’s Political Note #557. Brandon Williams, a first year extremely conservative Republican incumbent with a loose connection to the district, is the 6th most vulnerable Republican Member of Congress according to Len’s List.
New Jersey 07. Activist, basketball player and coach, and former head of the state Working Families Party Sue Altman is the front runner in the race for the Democratic nomination. Len’s Political Note #578. First term Republican Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey 07 is #14 on Len’s List.
Pennsylvania 10 City Councilwoman and 2022 candidate Shamaine Daniels will be the Democratic nominee. Len’s Political Note #559 Republican Scott Perry of Pennsylvania 10 is #23 on Len’s List. He is a particular target because he was one of the most active Members of Congress supporting Donald Trump’s attempted coup in 2020.
One more race in the Northeast to pay attention to. And this one is in November, 2023.
Electing Dan MCaffrey to Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court will keep a 5-2 majority which is way better than the 4-3 Democratic majority that would be the result of a Republican win. State Supreme Courts can be the difference on access to abortion and what Congressional and state legislative districts look like. Give Dan McCaffrey some support, too. Len’s Political Note #571
