Incumbent Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) and his progressive challenger, Josh Riley, have been battling for a House seat in one of the nastiest — and most consequential — bids for Congress that this election cycle has seen. The two are running to represent N.Y.-19, which includes Ithaca and large swaths of the region surrounding Cornell.
The contrast between the candidates couldn’t be more stark.
Molinaro is, without question, a sell-out, just another stooge in former President Donald Trump’s crusade against pluralistic democracy. His recent, full embrace of Trumpism is particularly surprising given that, just last year, Molinaro was rated the second-most bipartisan member of Congress, according to the Lugar Center.
Now, to cling to power, he is refashioning his political image around tearing down and demonizing immigrants; amplifying racist conspiracy theories, including the Trump-Vance campaign’s horrible lie about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio; and rallying against reproductive rights.
Molinaro’s switch-up has been so extreme that one-time allies and right-leaning moderates are turning away from him, baffled.
On the other hand, Josh Riley has fought for working- and middle-class Americans his whole life: At the Department of Labor, he helped workers affected by outsourcing; as a lawyer, he took on Wall Street, winning a landmark civil rights lawsuit that guaranteed that low-income children receive the healthcare they deserve; and now, he’s running to represent our community.
Refusing to accept money from corporate PACs, Riley has still managed to outraise his rival, even as Molinaro rakes in wealthy contributions from elite outsiders, including more than half a million dollars from the richest man in the world, Elon Musk’s super PAC.
Cornellians don’t have to stand by and watch as Molinaro continues to embarrass Tompkins County on the national stage. Students are eligible to register in Ithaca by Oct. 26 and cast their votes in one of America’s tightest House races. Two years ago, Molinaro beat Riley by 4,495 votes — that means just one-sixth of Cornell’s total student body could be enough to sway this election — and possibly give the House majority to the Democrats.
This November, the choice in N.Y.-19 is beyond obvious. It’s a matter of reproductive freedoms against draconian restrictions, labor rights against corporate greed, and compassionate immigration policy against vile, racist vitriol. The Sun wholeheartedly endorses Josh Riley and calls on all residents of Tompkins County, including every Cornell student and faculty member, to cast their votes wisely.
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