Pat Ryan to run in special 19th Congressional election before pursuing 18th seat

Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan
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Before Pat Ryan runs to represent the 18th Congressional District in November, he’ll run to represent the 19th.

The Ulster County Executive announced he would run in the special election to fill the 19th district seat vacated by Antonio Delgado.

The Democrat would presumably face Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, who has been campaigning for most of the past year as the Republican challenger to Delgado, and said he plans to run for the 19th seat in both the special and regular elections.

Delgado recently opted to fill New York’s lieutenant governor vacancy, though he’s yet to formally resign. When he does, Gov. Kathy Hochul will need to schedule the special election.

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“We’ve got plenty of career politicians in Washington; what we need more of are leaders who’ve actually laid it on the line for our country — served in combat, built a business, united people during tough times,” Ryan said in a statement. “Upstate New Yorkers are tough, but we’ve had a hell of a few years. While recovering from the pandemic, we’ve seen gas and grocery prices rise, wages remain stagnant, and a coordinated attack on women’s reproductive rights. I’m running for Congress to bring the type of common-sense solutions needed to move our country forward.”

The announcement from Ryan comes one day after a new set of proposed district lines for the state were released, prompting a flurry of announcements from candidates and sitting congressmen. Among them, 18th District Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, announced he would run in the 17th District in November if the maps stand, and Ryan announced he would run for Maloney’s vacated seat.

Ryan noted he has “secured the support of a majority of the county chair leaders who will be deciding the Democratic nominee for the special election.”

State Sen. James Skoufis, a Democrat who represents sections of Orange, Ulster and Rockland counties, has also expressed interest in running for the 18th District seat in November.

As for the special election, Ryan’s announcement included the endorsements of Delgado, Hochul and Maloney, in addition to others including Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa, and Dutchess County Comptroller Robin Lois.

Ryan, a 40-year-old West Point graduate and Gardiner resident, was elected county executive three years ago. He came in second to Delgado in a seven-way Democratic primary race in 2018 for the right to challenge Republican John Faso for the 19th Congressional seat.

Delgado in the release called Ryan “an incredible leader who always puts his country and community before politics.”

The winner of the special election would represent the 19th District through the end of the year.

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Ulster's Pat Ryan announces special NY Congressional election run