Who's running in New York's 19th congressional district
2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
2 candidates · ballot order · Josh Riley currently holds this seat
High confidenceHigh confidenceBacked by government records or the candidate's own official statements, with agreement across several independent sources.What would raise it: Nothing missing — this is the strongest evidence tier.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Taking on utility companies.
Lowering costs for upstate residents.
Political reform — what his campaign calls draining the swamp.
Keeping communities safe.
Refusing corporate PAC money; he says his vote is not for sale.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 19th District since January 2025; elected in 2024.
Comes from a family that worked in local factories for generations.
Runs his campaign without corporate PAC contributions.
Also carries the Working Families Party line on the November ballot.
Arguments in favor
He has pushed a bipartisan plan to lower health care costs, co-sponsored the Rural Hospital Stabilization Act to put $500 million of emergency support into rural hospitals, and pressed insurers publicly over cuts to Medicare Advantage plans upstate.
— Josh Riley's congressional office
He refuses corporate PAC money and says his vote is not for sale, running a people-powered campaign against utility companies and for lower costs upstate.
— Josh Riley's campaign
Arguments against
He voted against $50 billion in new funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program, money meant to keep struggling rural hospitals open: "He chose politics over patients, ideology over outcomes, and weakness over leadership and New Yorkers won't forget it."
— National Republican Congressional Committee
He is on the committee's list of vulnerable Democrats whose votes have endangered rural hospitals in New York and nationally.
— National Republican Congressional Committee, in its 'The Real Riley' series
What we couldn’t verify
His campaign homepage sets out themes and points to a separate policy page that was not retrievable; the detail behind each position is not documented here.
His committee assignments were not established from the sources found.
His answer to the rural health fund vote is implied by his own bills on rural hospitals but he has not addressed the NRCC's characterisation directly in material found.
Also carries the Conservative Party line on the November ballot.
Won the June 23, 2026 Republican primary.
Arguments in favor
He says he is among the most prolific law-passing Republicans in a Senate his party does not control: "You don't get that unless you try to work across the aisle and really establish a rapport with them." He joined a bipartisan push to regulate and disclose food additives in New York.
— Peter Oberacker, in an interview with City & State New York
He has spent his state Senate career pressing Democratic policy on energy costs and public safety, which he argues is what upstate voters want carried to Washington.
— Peter Oberacker's campaign
Arguments against
As state senator for the 51st district he voted consistently against bills protecting reproductive health access, including against the Public University Emergency Contraception Education Act and against authorising pharmacists to administer contraceptive injections.
— Delaware County Democrats, citing his Senate votes
What we couldn’t verify
His campaign homepage carries a slogan rather than policy; his federal positions on health care, agriculture and trade could not be established from the material available.
Only one line of published criticism of Oberacker by name could be found; no dedicated Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee attack material on him was located.
His fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
New York held its primary on June 23, 2026. Democratic incumbent Josh Riley, who also carries the Working Families line, faces Republican state Senator Peter Oberacker, who beat Alex Portelli for the nomination and also carries the Conservative Party line, in this large upstate district. New York allows fusion voting. The 2026 elections use the congressional map enacted on February 28, 2024. Roster from the New York qualifying lists as reported by Politics1 and Spectrum News.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A New York ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at New York State Board of Elections.