ALBANY - Democratic congressional hopeful Antonio Delgado holds a 5-point lead over Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. John Faso, according to a Monmouth University poll released on Tuesday. The latest poll for the 19th Congressional District, which stretches from the Capital Region deep into the Hudson Valley, breaks down to 49 percent for Delgado, 44 percent for Faso, 3 percent for the two third-party candidates and 4 percent are undecided. When factoring in a potential surge of Democratic voters similar to special elections over the past year, and reflective of the increased September primary turnout in New York, Delgado's support jumps to 51 percent and his lead grows to 8 percentage points. "The Democrat has strengthened his standing in this race even though Republican interest has picked up over the past month," Monmouth University Polling Institute Director Patrick Murray said in a statement. In September, Delgado led Faso by 3 points in a Monmouth poll assuming a standard midterm turnout. Faso has never trailed in polls conducted by the Siena Research Institute, which gave him a 1-point margin earlier this month. The race is generally considered a toss up, although the election forecast from FiveThirtyEight, a data-driven news site, now classifies it as leaning Democratic. The hopes of Democrats have also been buoyed by recent fundraising figures, with Delgado raising much more than Faso from individual contributors. Delgado's favorable rating of 42 percent in the poll is the same as September, but his unfavorable rating increased 8 points to 33 percent. Voters are split on Faso, with about 24 percent expressing no opinion. A plurality of voters, 42 percent, say Delgado shares their values, while only 36 percent feel that way about Faso. "GOP ads have focused on Delgado's past as a hip-hop artist in an effort to paint him as out of step with the district, but these attacks haven't changed the overall trajectory of this race," Murray said. More than a third of voters identified health care as their top concern, which Murray said works in Delgado's favor. "Voters who name health care as their top concern overwhelmingly back the Democrat," he said. "Immigration and taxes are key issues for Faso supporters, but concerns about these policies are not as widespread in the district." President Donald J. Trump has a negative job approval in the district, with 46 percent approving of his work in office and 51 percent giving him a thumbs down. A narrow plurality of voters, 43 percent to 40 percent, prefer a Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives instead of it staying in GOP hands. "It's still not a done deal by any stretch, but small shifts in party preferences toward the Democrats are making it tougher for Faso to hang onto this seat," Murray said. The poll has a margin of error of 5.1 percentage points, and was conducted between Oct. 24 and 28. David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87<doc-sep>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<doc-sep>ALBANY — Sarah Dressel pulled two apples from her bag, one battered and bruised and the other glistening green. "This is what happens when you miss one spray in a rainy season. This apple went from being $2 a pound to 9 cents a pound," she said. "What would you do to make sure that the science is heard and the courts are not pushing science and facts out of the way?" Dressel, whose family owns Dressel Farms in New Paltz, Ulster County, was referring to a recent federal appeals court decision in California compelling the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban a pesticide that New York fruit farmers relied upon, but has been found to cause developmental and health problems in children. For many voters like Dressel, the stakes are high in the fierce battle in New York's sprawling 19th congressional district between Democratic hopeful Antonio Delgado and freshman Republican U.S. Rep. John Faso. Indeed, recent policy changes coming out of Washington, D.C., have had meaningful implications for residents of the Hudson Valley district, which has been facing declining agriculture markets, immigration and infrastructure problems, out-migration of residents to other states, high taxes and environmental challenges. While Dressel is a longtime Faso supporter, serving on the congressman's agriculture advisory committee, she said she was impressed with Delgado and Green Party candidate Steve Greenfield, who both participated in a candidates' forum hosted last week by the New York Farm Bureau in Poestenkill. "I was glad to see that they all were very versed on the agricultural issues and were able to speak to them," she said. "I think they all care and that's really nice to see." Faso, of Kinderhook, is an attorney and former state assemblyman who was elected to Congress in 2016 and is presenting himself as a fiscal conservative with a bipartisan record, while trying to put space between himself from the sometimes incendiary rhetoric coming from the administration of President Donald J. Trump. Delgado, a corporate attorney from Rhinebeck and former Rhodes Scholar, has pitched himself as a down-to-earth outsider who is not beholden to corporate interests and understands the struggles of the district. Adding to the intrigue of the race are third party candidates: Greenfield, a musician and school board member from New Paltz, and actress Diane Neal, of Hurley, who is running independently. With less than two weeks until Election Day, the major party candidates are separated by a percentage point in the most recent nonpartisan poll, and just 7 percent are undecided. Neal, best known for her role as Casey Novak on "Law and Order: SVU," is polling at 5 percent, according to the recent Siena Research Institute poll, and just 1 percent of likely voters say they support Greenfield. It is a critical year for both parties. Some political observers have speculated that a potential "blue wave" in reaction to the election of Trump could enable Democrats to reclaim the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in the Nov. 6 midterm elections. The candidates While born 25 years apart — Faso is 66 and Delgado is 41 — the major-party candidates have much in common. Both tout their working class roots, which they say instilled them with a sense that education and hard work provide a path to upward mobility. Both grew up outside the district: Delgado is from Schenectady and Faso was raised on Long Island. Delgado's parents worked at General Electric Co. and saved up to buy their first home when their son was in college. Faso's father, an electrician and handyman, would often take his son along when he had jobs installing air conditioners. Each studied hard and ended up attending top law schools, with Delgado graduating from Harvard Law School and Faso earning his law degree from Georgetown University. After law school, Faso and Delgado both landed jobs at corporate lobbying firms. They both eventually moved to the district to run for office — Faso to Kinderhook in 1983 to run for state Assembly and Delgado to Rhinebeck for his congressional run last year — and to raise their families. "Growing up the rules were simple: work hard, do your homework and go to church," Delgado said in his campaign announcement. "The values my parents instilled in me growing up here are the same values that drive me to run for Congress." Faso's sensibilities are similarly straightforward and he's honed an affinity for budgetary issues and became known for his meticulous and persuasive critiques of legislation during his decades of service. The candidates are gracious in debates, each positioning themselves as moderates who, despite the polarized political climate, are willing to reach across the aisle. Faso has been able criticize the president — he says he did not vote for Trump in the 2016 presidential election — while Delgado has acknowledged that Trump's North American trade renegotiation may bring benefits for the region's dairy farmers. "I'm running on my record. My record in this very polarized time is I rank 18 out of 435 members of Congress for being bipartisan. I've worked hard during the 22 months that I've served in congress for veterans, for seniors, for our agricultural industry across the 19th district, and also dealing with the opioid crisis," Faso said at a recent debate, referencing legislation he sponsored to step the flow of Fentanyl into the United States. Despite this ranking, from the Lugar Center Bipartisan Index, Delgado's campaign notes that Faso has voted with the current administration 90 percent of the time. Faso has spent much of his life in politics — running unsuccessfully for state comptroller in 2002 when he narrowly lost to Democrat Alan Hevesi, and governor in 2006, when he lost to Eliot Spitzer. The District This district comprises all of Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster counties, and parts of Broome, Dutchess, Montgomery, and Rensselaer counties. It includes many liberal-leaning cities and towns, and large swaths of Republican-leaning, rural farmland areas. The electorate is closely divided between Republicans, Democrats and independents, making it often one of the most competitive and most watched districts in the nation. The 19th congressional district voted for Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election and Donald J. Trump in 2016. See More Collapse Delgado has forged a less conventional path, including a short-lived rap music career after law school, and a recent induction into the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame for his time as a star forward at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady, and later at Colgate University, when his team made it to the NCAA tournament. Before moving to the district, he worked at the law and lobbying firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. While Faso's trademark is his even-keeled temperament, Delgado exudes youthful exuberance and they differ on a range of issues including health care, the environment, immigration and tax policies. Residents of the geographically massive district have been paying attention. The voters At least one undecided voter was convinced to vote for Delgado following an Oct. 20 town hall hosted by the candidate in Gallupville, Schoharie County. "I'm kind of disgusted with the whole political process, but he gave me hope today," said Gloria Decker, a retired environmental remediation professional. "He didn't just do a song and a dance; he was very thorough with his answers." Frank Tucker, a volunteer lieutenant in the Freeport Fire Department who was called in to assist during the 9/11 attacks, was impressed with Delgado's response to his question about support in Congress for emergency first responders. "I'm totally disgusted with the Republican Party. Faso has totally disregarded the needs of the district," he said. Faso has been criticized for holding few town halls during his first term in office, and many at the Gallupville event grumbled about the congressman's absence. Bob Cross, a retired teacher and registered Republican — though he is married to Linda Cross, the Schoharie County Democratic Party secretary — said he plans to vote for Delgado because he showed up.<doc-sep>
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.