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ALBANY — Democrat Josh Riley narrowly defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro in one of New York’s most hotly contested congressional races.
The rematch of the 2022 race that Riley lost was among roughly a half dozen congressional battles in New York that were considered critical in determining control of the House of Representatives, which Republicans won two years ago during a midterm election. It also drew enormous levels of spending from super PACs affiliated with both parties that sought to influence the outcome of the race.
Control of the House of Representatives remained unclear early Wednesday, although Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate and former President Donald J. Trump was on a path to victory after winning key swing states Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina.
The race in the 19th Congressional District, which includes parts of the Hudson Valley, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Catskills regions, had been considered a bellwether of the nationwide battle for control of the House. The race also was marked by fierce attack ads on both sides that led both candidates to accuse the other of misleading voters about their records.
The 2022 campaign in the 19th District was also heated and ended with Molinaro securing a tight victory over Riley.
Molinaro is a Republican serving his first term in Congress. Before he was elected in 2023, he served as Dutchess County executive for about a decade and created a program to support people with special needs. He was in his third term in the state Assembly when he was elected county executive. His political career started when he was elected mayor of the village of Tivoli at age 19.
Riley is a Democrat who ran against Molinaro in 2022. He is an attorney and has worked at the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner LLP for most of his career. He represented clients in opposition of some immigration policies of the Trump administration and worked in the U.S. Senate before that for three years under former Sen. Al Franken.
