More than $26 million has been poured into the battleground 19th Congressional District race between Republican Rep. Mark Molinaro and Democrat Josh Riley, the most in New York and the seventh-most in the nation. It has become an election.
Molinaro, a first-term congressman who narrowly defeated Riley in 2022 to become an upstate representative, pointed to the huge sums of cash spent by both sides in recent events, calling it almost “obscene.” He said that.
Molinaro appeared to deviate from his usual stump speeches last week, telling the audience at the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce candidates forum that he was “a little angrier than before.”
“Stop TV ads, stop digital ads, stop mail cards. By the way, everyone is spending too much money on both sides to promote their particular side of the aisle and their own candidates,” Molinaro said. appealed to the congregation. Business big wig.
“It's almost to the level of despicableness,” he said.
According to the disclosure report compiled by open secretMr. Molinaro's campaign, as well as outside spending groups such as super PACs and nonprofit groups, spent about $12 million.
Meanwhile, Riley's campaign and his outside spending group have spent about $14 million so far this term.
In 2022, candidates and outside groups spent just under $20 million on campaigns, roughly split evenly between the two camps.
recent vote It shows that this area is really in turmoil. The last race was decided by a difference of about 4,500 votes.
Insiders say the competitive nature of the rematch has led candidates to change the way they approach the campaign, and that Mr. Molinaro, who has long described himself as a moderate, has changed his stance to appeal to the Republican base. are.
Voters told the Post they have seen a transformation in Molinaro since he ran as the Republican gubernatorial candidate in 2018.
“I think it was when he played against us.” [former Gov. Andrew] Cuomo, I had a problem with him. I thought he was a little wishy-washy. He was just scared to come out and voice his opinion,” Paul Bombard of North Greenbush told the Post at a recent rally in Rensselaer County.
“Then he played against Josh, and I saw another guy. I said to my wife, 'This is the guy I was looking for when I was playing against Cuomo a few years ago.' He's not afraid to just come out and say, 'Hey, you were lying about this,''' Bombard said.
Bombard, a former electricity business owner, previously voted Democratic, but said former President Donald Trump talked him into running for the White House for the first time in 2016.
Molinaro introduced North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), the No. 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, who was the focal point of the rally.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the event, Stefanik defended Molinaro's commitment to the Republican Party and the party's 2024 presidential candidate.
“Mark supports President Trump, and President Trump supports Mark,” Stefanik said.
Molinaro is Didn't vote for Trump in 2016doesn't often praise former presidents in his stump speeches, but he's also quick to dispel any notion that he's not on the “Trump train.”
“I support the former president. I think Donald Trump and the Trump administration are clearly committed to keeping America safe, not just providing border security, without a doubt,” Molinaro said ahead of the rally. , flanked by Stefanik and surrounded by a crowd of curious onlookers.
“And at no point could I support the surrender of our southern border, a significant increase in the cost of living for the people I represent, and the weakening of America for another four years,” Molinaro continued.
This statement stands in stark contrast to Molinaro's message in the previous cycle. After declaring victory on election night in 2022, he stressed the importance of House leadership respecting members of “purple” districts like himself and fostering an atmosphere of cooperation between the two parties. .
“I'm not going to go to Washington, D.C., to blame people for why things went wrong. To waste time attacking others or belittling people with whom I disagree. I’m not going to Washington, D.C.,” Molinaro said at the time.
Molinaro told reporters in Albany this week that he doesn't expect he and Riley to remain friends in any way after this year's race is over.
Both his and Riley's campaigns declined to comment.
