Day of decision at hand for Dems
7 candidates face off Tuesday for nomination in 19th District
Registered Democrats in New York’s sprawling 19th Congressional District go to the polls Tuesday to choose the candidate who will run against U.S. Rep. John Faso in November.
The seven people on the primary ballot will be Jeffrey Beals of Woodstock, David Clegg of Woodstock, Erin Collier of Cooperstown, Antonio Delgado of Rhinebeck, Brian Flynn of Elka Park, Gareth Rhodes of Kerhonkson and Patrick Ryan of Gardiner. Most of the candidates have been on the campaign trail for more than a year, seeking the party’s support to unseat Faso, R-
Kinderhook, who is seeking a second two-year term in the House.
Polls will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday
The 19th Congressional District comprises all of Ulster, Greene, Columbia, Sullivan, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego counties; most of Dutchess County; parts of Rensselaer and Montgomery counties; and a small section of Broome County.
••• Beals is a teacher at the Woodstock Day School and a former CIA intelligence officer and U.S. diplomat. He says he has 10 years experience in the federal government and is the candidate who can beat Faso.
“I am the only candidate with the platform to fight corporate power and end economic injustice,” Beals said in a prepared statement. “That’s why I’m endorsed by the People for Bernie Sanders. Out-of-touch, well-heeled liberals have proven repeatedly that they can lose this district for our party. I’m the only one who can win it.”
Beals has said he would fight to pass Medicare for all, raise Social Security benefits, forgive student loan debt, and provide jobs for every American. He also has said he would work to protect the environment and address climate change, as well as protect human rights of all people.
Beals also says the country needs immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship, as well as a foreign policy that puts diplomacy over endless war. Additionally, he supports gun safety laws such as banning the AR-15, requiring universal background checks and closing the gun show loophole.
••• Clegg is a private-practice attorney, a deacon with the St. James United Methodist Church and chairman of the Ulster County Human Rights Commission. He said Faso has only served his wealthy donors and that when he beats the congressman in November, he will be the district’s voice fighting for Medicare for all, a fair-share tax system and a transition to a green energy economy.
“I promise that I will honestly and truthfully represent the people of this district, not special interests,” Clegg said in a statement. “I have spent 37 years doing just that for the people of this district as a trial attorney, taking on greedy corporations and polluters, and have been fighting for social justice through my work as the chair of the Human Rights Commission [and] Family of Woodstock and my fierce commitment to protecting our environment.”
Clegg has said there needs to be a clean DREAM act not tied to other immigration issues. He also supports investment in education, free preschool programs throughout the nation and lowering interest rates on student loans below business rates.
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Collier is an economist on a U.S. Agency for International Development project. She has said she would use her experience to improve infrastructure, help businesses create good-paying jobs and fight for a $15 minimum wage.
“I worked as an economist under the Obama administration, and I will use that knowledge to stand up to the Trump administration’s daily attacks on working families in the 19th district,” Collier said in a statement. “Instead, I’m going to work towards improving economic opportunities for these families. I grew up in a working-class family on a farm in Cooperstown, N.Y., the latest in a line of five generations of farmers. So I understand our communities and the challenges we all face every day.”
Collier has said she supports for Medicare for all and also would advocate for women by protecting Planned Parenthood and closing the gender wage gap.
She said she also supports common-sense gun laws, such as banning assault weapons and bump stocks and requiring universal background checks.
Collier also said she would combat climate change by investing in clean, renewable energy.
••• Delgado is an attorney with the firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. He has touted his workingclass roots as teaching him to work twice as hard, which he said he’s used to build an “unmatched campaign organization.”
“I have a deep belief that people have a hard time turning their back on love and genuineness, and we are able to connect with voters of all political stripes by listening to them and responding with the empathy, compassion and dignity that has been missing from our politics for too long and inspires people to actually vote,” Delgado said in a statement. “We’re building a positive vision where everyone has access to universal and affordable health care, good jobs are back in our region, and the economy works for working people.”
Delgado has said the nation must explore all paths to providing universal healthcare coverage, including providing Medicare to anyone who wants it.
He said he would fight for a sensible and compassionate immigration policy and would encourage the growth of clean energy jobs. Delgado also said he supports universal background checks for gun purchases and closing the gun show loop hole, as well as banning bump stocks.
••• Flynn is the owner of a small business who said he is the best candidate to represent the district and defeat Faso. He also said he is the only candidate who has worked to pass legislation.
“We need a candidate that stands strongly for our values — issues like Medicare for all, a clean environment and rejecting corporate special interests — but also has the experience to get it done,” Flynn said in a statement. “As important, I’m the only candidate that can show stark contrasts to Faso. I’m the only candidate who has a proven track record of creating hundreds of good-paying American jobs, and that’s why I am supported by state and national labor unions.”
Flynn said he also is the only candidate with a concrete plan to create jobs, which includes offering training and retraining opportunities for workers and investing in infrastructure. He also said he believes in gun safety improvements, such as banning assault weapons and bump stocks and closing the gun show loop hole.
••• Rhodes is a former press aide for Gov. Andrew Cuomo who touts his local roots, having grown up in Ulster County. He said he has built a grassroots coalition to beat Faso and is the only candidate with support of local labor unions.
“It’s time for a new generation of leaders to stand up for the communities that raised them,” Rhodes said in a statement. “And these fights are personal to me — I support Medicare for all because I know what it’s like to live without health insurance. I’ve been outspoken on public transportation because I walked to work when I couldn’t afford a car. In a Congress made up of millionaires, it’s time we elect leaders who have lived the struggles of working families in this district and who will make government work for us again.”
Rhodes has said he would work to attract new businesses to invest in the region and prevent public schools from being defunded. He also has said he supports sensible immigration policies that are true to American values and that he backs common-sense gun measures such as universal background checks and banning bump stocks.
••• Ryan is an Army veteran who previously was a vice president of a technology company called Dataminr. He said Faso is a career politician who is marching in step with the Trump administration and the GOP on nearly every issue.
“I want to offer an alternative,” Ryan said in a statement. “An alternative where working in Congress is still a form of service and where crafting policy can still be a noble profession. I want to be beholden to the voters of NY19, not special interests.”
Ryan said he is the right candidate to bring people together, get work done and take the country back.
Ryan said he supports universal affordable health care, which includes allowing everyone to opt in to Medicare and lowering Medicare eligibility age to 55. He said he also supports common-sense gun violence prevention policies like banning assault-style weapons, requiring universal background checks and banning bump stocks and high-capacity magazines.
Ryan also said he is focused on supporting small businesses, labor unions and workers, and on adopting a clean DREAM act and comprehensive immigration reform.