Dear Fellow Democrats,
We are writing to share some good news about our determination to take back District 19 and defeat John Faso, one of the most vulnerable Republicans in Congress, in November.
Last evening, the Gardiner Democratic Committee endorsed Gardiner resident, Pat Ryan to run in NY 19. Beginning last year, members of the committee have spent months attending candidate forums and speaking with the remaining 6, possibly 7, candidates who will vie for the opportunity to run against Faso in November. We had many discussions among ourselves and came away determined to endorse who we think had the best chance to win, not only in Ulster County, but in the “conservative” counties north and west of us. We believe that candidate is Pat Ryan and here’s why:
A graduate of West Point and an Intelligence Officer who served 2 tours of duty in Iraq, Pat was born and raised in Kingston to a family that has lived in our community for five generations. Pat avoids the “carpetbagger” label pushed by Mercer money that helped defeat Zephyr Teachout in 2016.
Because it is his family home, his policy priorities reveal a unique understanding of our district and its needs. He is advocating for education reform to help our young people and displaced workers find meaningful work in our changing economy. As a successful small technology business owner and creator of 150 jobs, he’s acted on these priorities in the real world.
Pat has put forth an infrastructure plan to bring our nation’s roads and bridges and our district’s rail into the 21st Century – thereby also creating jobs. And, crucially, he is passionate about fixing our broken healthcare system to provide universal care. Pat believes health care is a human right.
Pat is a “cross-over” candidate and a unifier. His progressive policy priorities will win in our district and his military service, as well as his experience as a small business owner, will open doors in the counties where Trump signs dotted lawns.
There are some fine candidates running in 19, but they don’t have the qualities that make Pat “unique.” His adult life has been about service to our country – his post military life consisted of training returning veterans for technology jobs and producing life-saving information technology for our troops in combat. We admire his service, his integrity and his commitment to putting our community and country’s needs over his own interests, party or donors. At West Point, he was taught that, “Officers eat last.” He continues to embrace that value in his civilian life.
If you haven’t already met Pat and his wife, Rebecca, there will be many opportunities in the coming weeks and months to do so and we will be sending you information about upcoming events. If you would like to be part of Pat’s campaign and help him to victory in November, email his campaign manager, Tim Wagner at tim@patryanforcongress.com.
We look forward to being represented by Gardiner resident, Pat Ryan, in Congress!
The Gardiner Democratic Committee