# Josh Riley ## Summary U.S. Representative from New York's 19th Congressional District (Binghamton, Ithaca, Catskills, parts of Hudson Valley) since January 2025. **Freshman Democrat**. Attorney; former general counsel, New York State Senate. Ran first in 2022 and lost to Republican [[Marc Molinaro]] by ~4,500 votes; ran again 2024 and **flipped the seat, winning 48.99%–47.99% (~3,678-vote margin)** in a rematch. Launched 2026 reelection with strong fundraising (**$3.129M through year-end 2025**) and NYSUT endorsement (April 2026). ## Career highlights - Attorney; former general counsel, New York State Senate - 2022: Lost NY-19 general to Molinaro (R) by ~4,500 votes - 2024: Won NY-19 rematch — 48.99% (Riley) vs. 47.99% (Molinaro), 3,678-vote margin - Sworn in to 118th Congress January 2025 - Q1 2026 fundraising strong; full Q1 FEC detail propagating as of 2026-04-23 ## Congressional profile Freshman Democrat. Education and economic policy focus. NYSUT-endorsed April 2026. Unopposed in June 23 Democratic primary. ## 2026 race See [[NY-19-2026]]. **Cook: Lean D. Sabato: Leans D. Inside Elections: Leans D. PVI D+1.** Republican primary features Trump- and [[Speaker Johnson]]–endorsed **Peter Oberacker** (NY State Senator) vs. outsider Marine veteran **Alexander Portelli** (ballot status in question — signature-fraud challenge, NYSBOE deadline 2026-04-29). Marc Molinaro is NOT running 2026 (now pursuing NY Assembly 102 after a brief stint as Federal Transit Administrator). NY primary: June 23, 2026. ## Related KB entities - [[NY-19-2026]] — his 2026 race - TBD: [[Peter Oberacker]] — Trump-endorsed R challenger - TBD: [[Alexander Portelli]] — USMC-vet R outsider (ballot TBD) - TBD: [[Marc Molinaro]] — 2022/2024 opponent, not running 2026 ## Sources - [Wikipedia — Josh Riley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Riley) - [Ballotpedia — Josh Riley](https://ballotpedia.org/Josh_Riley) - [WSKG — NY-19 primary preview (April 2026)](https://wskg.org/ny-19-primary-josh-riley-touts-policy-experience-southern-tier-roots/) - [NYSUT — 2026 Congressional endorsements (April 2026)](https://www.nysut.org/news/2026/april/media-release-2026-congressional-endorsements)