Riley beats GOP incumbent, secures U.S. House seat for Dems
Josh Riley has unseated U.S. Rep. Marcus Molinaro in New York in a razor-thin win for Democrats in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives.
With over 97% of ballots counted by about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Riley claimed 50.5% of the votes in the 19th Congressional District race, and the incumbent Republican competitor trailed closely behind at 49.5%. The Associated Press has called the race in favor of Riley.
In their first face-off two years ago, Molinaro squeaked by in November 2022 with 51.1% of the vote in a redrawn district that includes Ithaca and the Finger Lakes.
Both sides spent heavily on political attack ads. During a spirited televised debate in early October, each challenged the other's credibility, while repeatedly talking over one another and blowing through time limits.
Riley accused Molinaro of “literally just making things up” while Molinaro countered that Riley was “lying again.”
Molinaro tapped into Republican talking points such as border security throughout the campaign. He used the debate to highlight crimes he claimed were committed by people living in New York illegally and blamed the Biden administration for failing to come to an agreement on a Republican measure to increase enforcement at the nation’s southern border.
Riley blamed Republicans for failing to support a bipartisan solution. “He (Molinaro) cares more about having a problem to campaign on than in solving the problem,” Riley said.
On abortion, Molinaro, the former Dutchess County Executive who ran for governor against Andrew Cuomo in 2018, said he would oppose a national ban. “I want that decision to rest between you and a physician, not Washington, D.C.,” Molinaro declared, looking straight into the camera during the debate.
“He’s lying to you, he’s lying to you,” Riley responded.