Congressman Pat Ryan and Republican Alison Esposito sparred on everything from abortion rights to the cost of living in a debate hosted by Spectrum News. Esposito accused Ryan, a Democrat seeking a second full term, of not doing enough to lift the federal government’s cap on state and local tax deductions for New Yorkers, while Ryan targeted Esposito for taking money from utility lobbyists.
“I think you need to explain that to the voters of the district," said Ryan.
“First of all, the Green New Deal and the attack is energy is what’s hiking up our energy bills," Esposito parried. "And it’s absolutely ludicrous.”
The 18th District includes parts of Orange, Duchess, and Ulster Counties. It’s a seat Democrats are hoping to maintain as they seek to flip the House. Polling by Emerson College put Ryan 5 percentage points ahead of Esposito earlier this month.
Esposito is a retired officer with the New York City Police Department and a former candidate for lieutenant governor. The first topic of the night focused on a frequent subject of her campaign: immigration. Esposito said the influx of asylum seekers at the southern U.S. border is a security threat and a drain on sanctuary cities like New York City.
“What we need is to reinstate the 'Remain in Mexico' policy, we need a secure southern border, and then they need to follow the ports of entry and not be paroled into the country where we don’t know who they are," she added.
Ryan said he agrees more needs to be done at the southern border, but it'll only happen with a bipartisan approach. He touted the Dignity Act, a bill he co-sponsored with some House Republicans last year, which would increase personnel at the border while boosting the availability of work visas for immigrants.
“This is the difference between pointing out a problem and working in good faith in a bipartisan way, which is what I’ve been doing the past two years, to try to fix the problem," he argued.
The bill has yet to pass either chamber of Congress.
Ryan repeatedly brought up Esposito’s support of former President Donald Trump, while Esposito tied Ryan to President Joe Biden. Ryan was one of the first Congressional Democrats to call on Biden to step down from the presidential race this summer, after Biden’s poor performance in a debate against Trump. Ryan described it as an instance of putting patriotism before party.
“I was hearing from constituents across the district that they were concerned about two things," Ryan explained. "1.) the existential threat that Donald Trump poses to our democracy — and we saw this a few years ago on January 6 — and 2.) the ability for Joe Biden to prosecute that case fully and forcefully against Donald Trump."
“This is the left rhetoric that got Trump shot and shot at," Esposito responded. "They call him an existential threat to democracy, and yet [Ryan] usurped 14 million Democrat voters who voted for Joe Biden. Not one voted for Kamala Harris to be the top of the ticket. And the reason wasn’t patriotism. The reason was he saw he was going to lose an election. They saw that Donald Trump was going to be back in the White House, and they couldn’t handle that.”
Asked if she thinks Trump was mentally fit to serve as president, Esposito said yes.
On the subject of abortion rights, Esposito said she agrees with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, but that she wouldn’t support a federal abortion ban. Ryan said overturning Roe stripped half of Americans of their bodily rights, and that he would consider eliminating the filibuster in the Senate to push through legislation codifying abortion rights nationwide. He won his first race for Congress in a special election just after that 2022 decision.
“Look, we’re seeing the Senate on a bunch of issues, including protecting reproductive freedom, fail [to act]," said Ryan. "70 percent of the American people support this policy. So I think that needs to be on the table and that’s not something I say lightly.”
Ryan also repeated his support of Proposition One, a ballot measure in New York that would prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, sexuality, and reproductive health outcomes (including abortion). Esposito is one of multiple Republican candidates who have falsely claimed the amendment would allow boys to play on girls’ sports teams or allow transgender youth to seek gender-affirming care without their parents’ consent.
“Alison says abortion’s not on the ballot — it is literally on the ballot in New York," said Ryan. "So please flip over your ballots and vote to protect reproductive freedom here in New York."
“Abortion is not even in Proposition One — outcome of pregnancy is, which isn’t at job interviews," Esposito responded. "I’m going to be voting against Proposition One. And as a member of the gay community, it’s not about LBGTQ rights. It’s about fairness in sports, securing locker rooms, and it is about allowing parents to decide what’s best for their children."
Election Day is November 5.
