19th District candidates Faso and Delgado spar in Sullivan debate

Oct. 30--LOCH SHELDRAKE -- Republican Rep. John Faso and Democratic challenger Antonio Delgado repeatedly butted heads throughout an hour-long debate in front of a standing-room-only crowd at SUNY Sullivan on Monday night.

In a race coming down to the wire, Delgado seeks to flip the 19th District congressional seat held by Faso, one considered crucial for Democrats if they hope to have a chance of taking a majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections.

Faso, the first-term congressman from Kinderhook, said he's running on his record and touted recent legislation he was a part of and his ability to be bipartisan.

Delgado, an attorney living in Rhinebeck, said he's running to represent the working families in the district who have been left behind by a political system more beholden to special interests.

Monday's debate was sponsored by the Times Herald-Record and Orange County Citizens Foundation.

Faso and Delgado fielded questions from Barry Lewis, executive editor of the Record, and Ken Hall, a Record opinion writer.

Health care proved to be a contentious issue, particularly over a promise that Faso had made to Andrea Mitchell, a constituent in 2017 who survived a brain tumor and demanded he defend the Affordable Care Act's protection for people with pre-existing conditions.

Faso later voted in favor of the Republicans' plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which Delgado and other critics say broke that promise.

Faso argued at Monday's debate that he upheld the promise and the woman would not have been affected by the Republicans' plan because she is on Medicaid.

It comes down to an amendment in the bill that Faso said could have potentially affected 7 percent of people in the individual insurance market and wouldn't apply in New York because of state law.

"The gentleman, just simply -- maybe it's because he just arrived -- but he doesn't understand New York law," Faso said of opponent Delgado.

Faso referred to Delgado several times as an outsider who moved into the district -- which includes all or part of 11 counties, including all of Sullivan and Ulster -- just to run for office.

Delgado argued that Faso was being dishonest about protecting pre-existing conditions because the bill would affect people outside the state, and being a congressman is a federal position.

"Either you voted to protect guaranteed protections for everyone or you didn't," Delgado said.

Delgado said the bill Faso voted for would've rolled back Medicaid expansion, which would've put Mitchell at risk of no longer being eligible for Medicaid.

In response to a question about Delgado's brief rap-music career, Faso said his challenger has no record in the district -- other than a CD laced with provocative and explicit lyrics.

Delgado defended his music, saying his lyrics were taken out of context to stoke divisiveness.

He also emphasized that he was born and raised in Schenectady and "doesn't hold it against the Congressman that he's from Long Island."

"To me, we needed to come back to clean up the mess that he created," Delgado said.

mnanci@th-record.com

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