Delgado steers clear of presidential race
Mid-Hudson Valley congressman says his focus is on serving residents of New York’s 19th Congressional District.
U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado said he does not want to participate in “horse jockeying” around the upcoming presidential race and, as with his own re-election campaign, prefers instead to focus on working for his constituents.
“My focus is on the work that I’m doing as the congressman of New York’s 19th Congressional District,” Delgado, DRhinebeck, said during a phone call with reporters on Wednesday. “And engaging in horse jockeying around the presidential race is not something that I care to do.”
Delgado, who is serving his first two-year term, was asked about whether Bernie Sanders is the right candidate to lead the Democratic ticket in the fall and about his own re-election in November. Delgado so far is being challenged by Steve Greenfield on the Green Party line, and Ola Hawatmeh and Kyle Van De Water, who are seeking the Republican line on the ballot.
“When I’m home, I’m talking about the issues,” Delgado said. “I’m learning from the constituents. I’m focusing on the needs on the ground. And I’ve tried to be relentless in that regard.”
He said that includes advocating for rural broadband service, fighting PFAS contamination in drinking water, tackling climate change, and helping develop the local workforce. Delgado said he feels people are “thirsty” for that and they have been showing up to town hall events he has held, asking substantive questions. He said that drives home the point that he should continue to be focused on the issues at hand and deliver wherever he can in Washington, “despite how partisan the times might be.”
In an interview at the Daily Freeman office in Kingston last week, Delgado also spoke about focusing on his work for the constituents when asked about the more than $2 million his campaign had raised as of the end of January.
“Yes, you have to raise money, obviously, if you want to run,” Delgado said. “That is a necessary reality of this occupation, unfortunately.” He said his job, though, is serving the people of the district for as long as they keep him in office. Whatever happens in the months to come will happen, he said.
Delgado said the campaign donations do show the support he has received, for which he is grateful.
During the Freeman interview, Delgado also was asked about term limits for elected officials.
“Two-year terms are, to be very candid with you, brutal,” he said, referring to the terms House members serve. “Particularly in this climate.”
He said there is an entire apparatus built around attacking elected officials from the day they take office, even before they cast a vote. That happened to him, Delgado said, noting he was attacked in ads on TV and social media.
“And so the capacity to have to constantly defend yourself and communicate, whether that’s on TV, whether that’s through mail, whether that’s on social media, unfortunately, there’s a cost associated with that,” the congressman said.
Delgado said the system would work better if elected officials had a “genuine full-term” to focus on their work. He said, though, that consideration of extending the length of an elected official’s term should be coupled with limits on how long they can serve overall. Delgado said 10 to 12 years in office would give congressmen time to build relationships and get work done.
On Wednesday’s call, Delgado also spoke about the need to ensure the integrity of the country’s electoral system. He noted that Congress last year passed legislation called the Shield Act, which, in part, ensures that social media platforms are held to the same standard as radio and TV when it comes to liability and distinction between facts and falsehoods.