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Candidates › NY-19 race › 2025–2026
Josh Riley
D Democratic nominee for U.S. House, NY-19
Representative since 2025
Other accounts (2)
The same platforms’ other accounts, such as a congressional office’s or an earlier campaign’s.
- On the ballot
- On the general election ballotNov 3, 2026 · New York US House 19
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- TAKING ON UTILITY COMPANIES TO BRING DOWN BILLS
- CHAMPIONING EQUALITY FOR ALL
- CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
- CUTTING TAXES FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS
- DEFENDING ABORTION RIGHTS
- In Congress
- Representative since 2025 · votes with their party 92% of the time. See the record · Office phone 202-225-5441
- Money
- $6M raised, $4.3M spent, $1.8M cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 13% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 49% from New York · largest committee giver AMERICAN ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE, $40.2K
- Outside groups
- $60.4K supporting Riley
- Backed by
- AFL-CIO New York · Amalgamated Transit Union · American Federation of Government Employees and 36 more. As the campaign lists them
- Sponsored most in
- Energy, Agriculture and Food, Science, Technology, Communications
23 priorities from joshrileyforcongress.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
Utility bills are out of control. And while Upstate New Yorkers struggle just to keep the lights on, foreign-owned utility companies are raking in record profits and sending millions overseas. It’s robbery. Josh is working to hold utility companies accountable and lower your bills by:
- Taking regulators and the utility monopolies to court to block them from raising rates;
- Helping families save up to $400 a year on utility bills with straightforward home energy-efficiency upgrades;
- Banning foreign ownership of American utilities, because your money should stay in your pocket and our community, not line the pockets of corporate executives in Spain;
- Blocking utility CEOs from paying themselves massive bonuses while raising rates on working people;
- Lowering your monthly energy bills by making state-mandated utility fees tax deductible, because things are expensive enough already; and
- Stopping data centers from driving up energy bills by requiring Big Tech to pay for the grid upgrades instead of passing those costs on to Upstate families.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions
Love is love. At a time when constitutional freedoms are threatened, Josh knows we cannot take for granted the progress we have made in the civil rights movement. Josh is fighting for equality for all by:
- Backing the Equality Act to ban anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination nationwide;
- Supporting life-saving mental health and suicide prevention services tailored specifically for LGBTQ+ youth in crisis; and
- Standing firm against extremists who target and bully LGBTQ+ kids just for being who they are.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions
Josh believes that everyone deserves an opportunity to live a fulfilling life and reach their full potential, regardless of their abilities. Josh is creating opportunities for people with disabilities by:
- Fighting to fully fund special education and ensure every student has the resources to thrive;
- Cutting bureaucratic red tape to eliminate unfair waiting periods for Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare benefits; and
- Working to raise outdated SSI asset limits that penalize disabled Americans for building financial security and saving for emergencies
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions
The Middle Class needs a tax cut; billionaires and big corporations don’t. Josh believes it is unacceptable that hedge fund managers pay lower tax rates than janitors, and he believes the tax code should be reformed to be simpler, fairer, and less of a burden for working families. Josh is fighting to put working people first by:
- Putting money back in the pockets of middle-class families by boosting the Child Tax Credit;
- Lowering your monthly energy bills by making state-mandated utility fees tax deductible, because things are expensive enough already;
- Eliminating federal taxes on Social Security benefits, because Upstate seniors deserve every penny they’ve earned; and
- Making union dues and out-of-pocket work expenses 100% tax-deductible for all employees.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions
Anti-abortion extremists want to take away women’s most personal healthcare decisions and put them in the hands of politicians – even here in New York.
Josh’s view is simple: women’s healthcare decisions are women’s healthcare decisions, and politicians should stay the hell out of them. Josh championed an effort in federal court to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which would make abortion access a constitutional right. As a member of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, he’s:
- Pushing to restore the full protections of Roe v. Wade into law by passing the Women’s Health Protection Act;
- Working to protect access to birth control so politicians can’t meddle in private family planning decisions; and
- Fighting in the Supreme Court to block attempts to restrict access to mifepristone
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions
Josh knows that strong unions built a strong Middle Class. He served as a Policy Analyst at the U.S. Department of Labor, focusing on unemployment and job training programs. As an attorney in private practice, he represented workers whose rights were violated under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and as a Fellow on the U.S. Senate Labor & Pensions Committee, he fought for pro-labor legislation. He believes we have to make it easier to join a union and harder to bust one, and is standing with organized labor by:
- Fighting to pass the PRO Act to protect workers’ right to organize and penalize companies that union-bust;
- Ending stall tactics by requiring companies start contract negotiations within 10 days of a successful union vote;
- Stripping corporate tax write-offs for companies that try to block union organizing efforts; and
- Making union dues 100% tax-deductible.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions
Josh believes we can keep vulnerable populations safe from gun violence while honoring law-abiding gun owners’ Second Amendment rights. Josh served as counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee following the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and he worked on common-sense legislation to keep communities safe. Josh is:
- Fighting for universal background checks to close dangerous loopholes and keep weapons out of the hands of individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others; and
- Backing common-sense safe storage laws to protect children by ensuring firearms are kept secure in residential homes.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions
Josh is a proud product of Upstate New York’s public schools, and he wants every child to have the great education and opportunities he had. He is delivering on that promise by:
- Helping recruit and train science and math teachers to boost STEM education in rural communities and ensure our students are prepared to compete in the global economy;
- Expanding access to arts and music programming so kids of all ages can explore their passions and creativity;
- Hiring more counselors and mental health professionals to give kids the support they need directly in the classroom;
- Blocking extreme efforts to dismantle the Department of Education and strip funding from our local schools; and
- Promoting career and technical education (CTE) pathways as a member of the Bipartisan CTE Caucus—because a four-year degree should not be the price of admission to the Middle Class.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions
Josh believes that healthcare should be a civil right in America, not something that bankrupts so many American families. Josh believes that our healthcare system should put patients over profits. He’s working to expand access to quality healthcare and lower costs by:
- Securing $1M for a new Licensed Practical Nursing training facility in Johnson City, to address workforce shortages and train the next generation of healthcare workers right here in Upstate New York;
- Delivering millions to rural hospitals across Upstate New York, including $600,000 for renovations at Margaretville Memorial Hospital, $1,000,000 for new diagnostic equipment at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, and $1,000,000 to construct a new Refuah Health outpatient facility in South Fallsburg.
- Requiring insurance companies spend more of your premiums on care and less on overhead and corporate profit;
- Empowering Medicare to negotiate down the price of drugs for everyone, and capping out-of-pocket prescription costs at $2,000 per year;
- Expanding Medicare benefits to cover dental, vision, and hearing services for our seniors;
- Surging resources to rural hospitals to help keep doors open and care close to home;
- Promoting access to telehealth to ensure every Upstate family can see a doctor regardless of their zip code;
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions
Growing up in Endicott, Josh saw firsthand how greedy corporations and corrupt politicians cut backroom deals that left working people behind. Josh isn’t a career politician, and he’s never taken a penny of corporate PAC money. He’s running to fix a broken system that has been rigged against Upstate New Yorkers for far too long. That’s why he introduced the Drain the Swamp Act – a comprehensive blueprint to hold politicians accountable and return power to the American people by:
- Banning corporate PACs and dark money in politics to ensure elected officials answer to working people, not corporations and special interests;
- Ending insider trading in Washington by prohibiting Members of Congress and the President from owning or trading individual stocks;
- Establishing term limits for Congress to stop politicians from turning public service into a lifelong career;
- Strengthening anti-bribery protections to permanently block federal officials from accepting foreign gifts and corporate favors; and
- Reforming the Supreme Court with term limits and a strict code of ethics to ensure justices are held to the highest standards of transparency and public trust.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions
Technological progress is accelerating in everything from artificial intelligence to blockchain and digital currencies. Josh believes we need to establish clear and balanced policies that foster innovation, empower consumers, and promote national security, and he believes that we must be at the forefront in the global competition around these technologies. Josh will promote growth and innovation while ensuring these technologies are used ethically and beneficially by:
- Supporting the development of comprehensive regulations that provide clarity and security for emerging technologies like blockchain, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and machine learning;
- Encouraging public-private partnerships to drive innovation, ensuring the U.S. remains a global leader;
- Implementing measures to deter fraud and promote transparency and trust; and
- Ensuring that the development and implementation of these technologies align with national security interests, preventing adversaries from exploiting them for malicious purposes.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions
We owe no greater debt than to those who have served our country in uniform. Josh’s grandpa served in the U.S. Army, and Josh has spent his career fighting for our service members – from advocating in federal court for veterans service organizations to expanding mental health resources for veterans experiencing crisis. Josh believes that supporting our veterans is our most solemn responsibility, and he is delivering on that promise by:
- Modernizing VA scheduling to cut wait times and make it easier for veterans to access benefits the benefits they’ve earned;
- Backing the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act to ensure combat-disabled veterans receive their full retirement pay and disability benefits without unfair penalties;
- Expanding comprehensive dental and hearing care to ensure every veteran enrolled in the VA system has full coverage; and
- Guaranteeing VA care for exposure to toxic “forever chemicals.”
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · joshrileyforcongress.com/policy-positions