Seven Democrats, one seeking the Green Party nod and two unaffiliated candidates are hoping to unseat freshman New York Republican Congressman John Faso of the 19th District. 34-year-old Cooperstown resident Erin Collier was the latest Democrat to enter and the only woman. This is the seventh and final of WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne’s interviews with the Democratic candidates.
Collier entered the race in mid-March. She says the election of Donald Trump, and a call to action during women’s marches in January 2017 for more women to run for office, prompted her to explore a campaign. Collier attended trainings for women to run for office, and was thinking about a congressional run in 2022. But the women leading the training convinced her otherwise.
Erin Collier is one of seven Democratic candidates who want to run against Faso in what is considered a swing district in the national spotlight. Two other candidates are unaffiliated and an eighth seeks the Green Party line. The primary is June 26th. WAMC is hosting a live debate among the seven Democratic candidates May 31 from 1-2:30 p.m. at The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Studio in Albany.
