“Upstate New Yorkers are nothing if not resilient...When the world faces big challenges, we always rise to meet them. I’m running for Congress because I believe this is a Valley of Opportunity, and we deserve a politics that serves hard-working Upstate New Yorkers, not deep-pocketed special interests. That’s why I’ll always protect Social Security, defend a woman’s right to choose, and fight to strengthen the Middle Class, and it’s why I’ll never take a penny of corporate PAC money."
“......It’s the values and the work ethic I learned growing up here that have guided my career–civil rights work for kids who needed healthcare; bringing Democrats and Republicans together to fight the opioid epidemic; taking on big corporations that were ripping off consumers, workers, small businesses” (Riley for Congress Campaign Announcement Press Release, 4/11/23)
BACKGROUND + EXPERIENCE
Josh Riley was born + raised in a working-class neighborhood of Endicott, New York. With student loans, savings from his newspaper route + part-time work, he graduated with high honors from the College of William & Mary + Harvard Law School. At his law school graduation, then Dean Elena Kagan presented Riley with the Dean’s Award for Community Leadership in recognition of his record in public service.
Riley started in public service as a Staff Assistant in Congressman Maurice Hinchey’s office. He was subsequently a Fellow on Senator Ted Kennedy’s Labor & Pensions Committee staff where he worked on legislation to raise the minimum wage + fought back against big corporations that had tried to weaken the Family & Medical Leave Act. Riley was a Policy Analyst at the Department of Labor where he focused on strengthening safety nets like the unemployment insurance + trade adjustment assistance programs for communities that lost jobs through no fault of their own. After Hurricane Katrina, Riley volunteered in a legal aid clinic in New Orleans assisting workers who lost their jobs due to the storm.
After graduating law school, Riley moved to south Florida to work with the American Academy of Pediatrics on a landmark civil rights lawsuit representing kids from low-income families having difficulty accessing healthcare. The Public Interest Law Center presented Riley + his team with the Thaddeus Stevens Award in recognition of their work on that case.
Riley served as law clerk for Judge Kim Wardlaw on the Court of Appeals for the California Ninth Circuit where he handled complex constitutional cases. As an attorney in the Senate, he worked to restore the Voting Rights Act after it was gutted by the Supreme Court. Following his clerkship, Riley was General Counsel to Senator Al Franken on the Senate Judiciary Committee where he led efforts to deal with the opioid crisis + fought for voting rights and campaign finance reform among other projects.
As an attorney in private legal practice, Riley has filed briefs in the Supreme Court arguing for stronger campaign finance laws + healthcare for all. He filed briefs in the lower courts arguing for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment + improved access to benefits for veterans. He also supported legal challenges opposing the Trump administration’s discriminatory immigration policies. Riley filed Supreme Court arguments supporting Dreamers + opposing the Muslim ban. He has been recognized nationally for his legal practice, including as one of the nation’s three “Rising Stars” for technology + innovation in 2020. He was named in 2018 + 2019 to 40–under-40 lists for attorneys in Washington, D.C.
Riley ran for Congress in a new NY-19 District in 2022 facing Marc Molinaro. He received 49.2% of the vote in one of closest House elections in the country.
ON THE ISSUES
Riley wants to give working families a fair shot to get ahead. He’s not taking any corporate PAC money because he’s going to Congress to fight for neighborhoods like the one he grew up in, not the special interests.
Riley has pledged to strengthen + expand the middle class, protect Medicare + Social Security, protect the environment + fight climate change, keep our communities safe + defend democracy + Constitutional rights. Detailed policy positions on a broad range of topics can be found on his campaign website.
POLITICS IN NEW YORK + DISTRICT 19
NY-19 is among 18 “Biden+” seats across the country Democrats hope to retake in November following disappointments in that state in the ‘22 midterm elections. These are districts carried by Biden in ‘22 but captured by House Republican candidates. In ‘22, Republicans flipped three New York seats bringing the state’s seat count to 15 Democratic + 11 Republicans.
Riley will again face Marc Molinaro who flipped the district in ‘22 with 50.8 % of the vote. Significantly, Biden would have carried this district by +4.6% in 2020 had the district existed in its current configuration following the approval of the most recent redistricting plan.
Molinaro is a formidable opponent for Riley given the power of incumbency + his high-profile prominence in New York Republican politics. He was Duchess County Executive for 11 years, served in State Assembly, had an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2018. Nevertheless, given the district’s current makeup + Riley’s impressive qualifications, this seat represents an excellent opportunity for a Democrat pickup in the effort to regain the majority in the House.