Faso-Delgado race in 19th Congressional District going down to wire

Oct. 28--The race for New York's 19th Congressional District, which includes all of Ulster and Sullivan counties, is one of the most expensive in the country.

Spending by candidates and outside groups has surpassed $23 million, making it one of the 10 most expensive House races in the country, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

It is also one of the most watched races in the nation.

First-term Republican incumbent Rep. John Faso of Kinderhook held a razor-thin lead over Democratic challenger Antonio Delgado, 44 percent to 43 percent, in a recent Siena College poll, well within the margin of error.

Faso's seat is considered one that Democrats must flip on Nov. 6 to have a chance of taking a majority in the House of Representatives.

Faso said he wants to return to Congress to continue what he started and do so in a manner that's necessary in today's political climate.

"I rank 18th out of 435 for being bipartisan, and I think in these polarized times we need people that will work across the aisle, that will get things done," Faso said.

That ranking comes from the Lugar Center, a Washington, D.C., think tank that annually scores how often representatives co-sponsor bills by colleagues from across the aisle and attract opposite-party co-sponsors for their own.

Delgado argues the ranking is deceptive because it doesn't take into account whether bills pass and said Faso sides with President Donald Trump on an overwhelming number of issues.

A tally by the analytics website FiveThirtyEight.com found Faso votes in line with Trump's position more than 89 percent of the time.

"He is a puppet," Delgado said. "He's used by outside interests and party leaders for interests that do not pertain to the folks he represents."

Delgado, an attorney living in Rhinebeck who was a Rhodes Scholar and had a brief career in rap music, grew up in Schenectady as part of a working-class family. He aims to restore opportunities for families like his.

"I think I've engaged with so many diverse points of views, that that's the kind of experience we need right now from our political leaders because the world is becoming more and more diverse," Delgado said. "So, too, is the political discourse, and it's important to have folks who have the ability to find that common ground."

He added that he would be a "true independent actor" in Congress who is not beholden to outside interests or party leadership.

More than spoilers

The election could come down to how many votes go to independent candidate Diane Neal, the former "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" actress, and Green Party candidate Steve Greenfield.

Neal is running because she sees the district, which includes all or part of 11 counties, as one without an advocate who is focused on helping residents.

"I just want to go and fight for the things that we need," she said.

Greenfield, a two-term member of the New Paltz school board who ran for the Ulster County Legislature twice, said he reluctantly threw his hat into the ring because important issues were not being addressed.

Those issues are war, poverty and climate change, according to Greenfield.

He said he would end costly warfare by the United States to save money and lower taxes, end poverty and save the planet by shifting the energy grid completely to renewable sources.

"How could you be telling the public that you have anything to achieve for the common welfare of the American people if you don't even mention those things?" Greenfield said.

In the Siena poll, Neal garnered 5 percent support and Greenfield 1 percent.

But don't reduce Neal or Greenfield solely to the role of spoiler. Both believe they've affected discourse in the race.

Neal called it a "myth" that she'll take votes from Delgado and cited the Siena poll, which showed slightly more of her support came from Republicans than Democrats.

Delgado said it's not something that concerns him.

"For me, it's about making sure we continue to engage with voters, continue to do the town halls," he said.

Faso said he was unsure of what impact Neal and Greenfield could have and suspects they'll draw votes from both him and Delgado.

Health care front and center

The central issue of the race has been health care, particularly Faso's vote last year to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Delgado and other critics say the bill Faso voted for would have jeopardized coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions if it had become law.

"Their criticism is false," Faso said. "The bill that I voted for protected everyone with a pre-existing condition, and the person they use in their ad that they charge that I broke my promise to, that person is on Medicaid."

He's referring to Andrea Mitchell, a constituent who survived a brain tumor and demanded that the congressman defend the Affordable Care Act's protection for people like herself with pre-existing conditions.

Faso hugged Mitchell at a rally outside his home in Kinderhook in January 2017 and said, "I promise," a pledge that Delgado and Democratic groups have harped on in their attacks on the incumbent.

Delgado supports introducing a public option to the private insurance market to achieve universal coverage.

"The benefit beyond just bringing down the cost of health care is if you're an employer you're able to not have to bear the brunt of the cost of providing employer-based insurance," he said. "If you're an employee, you don't feel like you're trapped in your place of employment."

Greenfield and Neal are in favor of a single-payer health-care system commonly referred to as "Medicare for all."

Both cite the cost savings that would come as a result and the public good created by everyone having access to health care.

"The truth is, if you actually look at the numbers, it's a wildly fiscally conservative idea," Neal said.

She added that it would be a "massive" boost to small businesses that are limiting their number of employees or hours so they aren't required to provide insurance and would also provide workers with more disposable income that would go back into the economy.

Greenfield also pointed out the effect on property taxes. He estimated health insurance for public employees makes up 15 percent to 20 percent of property tax bills.

"If we adopt single-payer at the federal level, that goes away overnight and it stays away forever, and the arguing over the 2 percent tax cap becomes a joke," Greenfield said. "We don't need to have it anymore."

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