MAGA Majority, an initiative run by the National Republican Congressional Committee devoted to electing non-incumbent Republicans, has removed State Senator Peter Oberacker (R-N.Y.) from its program, according to a review of MAGA Majority’s most recent candidate list published by Punchbowl News.
The initiative provides financial backing, campaign advice and national visibility for non-incumbent Republicans. The NRCC added Oberacker to the MAGA Majority program’s candidate roster in March.
Oberacker is hoping to dislodge incumbent Rep. Josh Riley (D-N.Y.) from the 19th Congressional District, which covers much of the Southern Tier, including Tompkins County, but has faced setbacks after Politico reported Oberacker had saluted his grandfather’s military service in Nazi Germany in a 2015 Veterans Day Facebook post.
“I debated on whether to post this picture, my Grandfather Ludwig Oberacker who gave his life for his country, I salute all who served,” Oberacker wrote in the post, though he has since told Politico that he “would look at it a little bit differently now.”
While Riley defeated former Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) by roughly 2% in 2024, Cook Political Report has written that Riley is “in a much stronger position this cycle,” especially since his fundraising has dwarfed Oberacker’s.
The nonpartisan outlet has rated the race “Likely Democratic” as of July.
And, the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC devoted to winning a Republican majority in Congress, also pulled $4.8 million from television ad spending for Oberacker in the district across three media markets — Syracuse, Binghamton and Albany-Troy — that make up the majority of the 19th district on Friday, according to Axios.
A spokesperson for the Oberacker campaign did not immediately respond to The Sun’s request for comment.
Atticus Johnson is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a news editor for the 144th Editorial Board and can be reached at ajohnson@cornellsun.com.
