Ex-candidate for lt. gov. launches bid for Congress
Alison Esposito challenges
KINGSTON, N.Y. >> A former 25-year New York City police officer said Tuesday that she will seek the congressional seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat from Gardiner.
Republican Alison Esposito, who lives in Goshen in Orange County and was a onetime candidate for lieutenant governor, announced in a statement that she will seek the 18th Congressional District seat in the November 2024 election.
In 2022, Esposito ran for lieutenant governor as former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin’s running mate.
“I’m not a career politician,” said Esposito in a statement announcing the candidacy. “I am and always will be a cop.”
“I spent my life protecting the people of New York, and when I witnessed one-party, far-left rule turn our streets over to criminals, I knew continuing to protect my fellow New Yorkers meant doing something more.”
Esposito is challenging Ryan, who is running again again in 2024.
Ryan, who won the seat in 2022, said Esposito is someone the country does not need.
“We’ve got enough MAGA extremists in Congress; what we need are more Patriots who will rise above the partisanship to deliver for Hudson Valley families,” Ryan said in a statement when asked for comment. “Esposito has called gun violence ‘a distraction,’ she wants a national abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest, she’s sold out to big corporations who are ripping off hard-working families, and she stands with insurrectionist traitors who want to overthrow our democracy.”
However, Esposito said that she is exactly what the Congress and the 18th Congressional District need.
“Believing New Yorkers deserved leadership that would fight
for what was truly important to them, I walked away from my career to run for Lieutenant Governor,” Esposito said. “During that race, we worked together and created a commonsense wave that swept across New York and flipped the House of Representatives. My commitment to the millions who supported our campaign and what it stood for — securing our streets, providing our children with a quality education, driving down our cost of living and more — has not wavered.”
Zeldin and Esposito lost the race to Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, and her running mate Antonio Delgado, who previously represented the 19th congressional district.
Esposito was born and raised in Highland Mills in Orange County.
She attended the State University of New York at Delhi, City University of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy at Quantico, Virginia.
Esposito served in the New York City Police Department for nearly 25 years, rising to the rank of Deputy Inspector and Commanding Officer of the 70th Police Precinct, the announcement said.
“Following in the footsteps of her father, NYPD Chief Michael Esposito, she joined the force because she believes that those who are in danger, and cannot defend themselves, have the right to be safe, free, and protected,” her campaign site said.
Esposito said she is still in the fight.
“President Biden and his allies in Congress have left our nation a shell of its former self,” Esposito said. “Our southern border is non-existent, inflation has left families choosing between gas and groceries, and we have relinquished our standing on the world stage.
“Right now, the Hudson Valley is represented by a defender of President Biden’s failed policies. Instead of fighting for everyday hardworking families, our representative is fighting for his own self-interest,” she added. “It’s time we have someone who represents our Hudson Valley values.”
Esposito leaned heavily on her police experience in Wednesday’s announcement.
“I have taken on criminals in the streets of New York, and now it is time to take on the Washington political machine,” Esposito said. “It’s time to reclaim our American dream and save our beloved state and country.”
The 18th Congressional District comprises the city of Kingston and most of southern and central Ulster County, all but two towns in Dutchess County and all of Orange County.