Putting Upstate First.
Always.

November 5, 2024

I am so proud of my deep roots in Upstate New York. I learned our region’s history as a kid sitting on my great-grandpa’s porch on Birdsall Street.

The fire station siren goes off at noon every day so the workers know when to take their lunch break.

The door on the side of everyone’s house was put there as a separate entrance going straight to the basement washroom so workers coming home from the tannery wouldn’t track a mess through the house.

The carousels are free–and they always will be–because around here we believe that every kid should have a chance to take a ride, even if (especially if) they don’t have a nickel to pay admission.

We welcomed hard-working, law-abiding immigrants–a generation of people from around the world who arrived at America’s shores, asked “which way EJ?” and set out to punch a clock, work with their hands, and find the American Dream.

And we’ve been known as a Valley of Opportunity because we build things. We made the boots our soldiers wore when they trampled fascism in the World Wars. We built the punch cards that ushered in the New Deal. We built the circuit boards that brought the world a technology revolution. And when we built those things, we also built the Middle Class.

I’m proud of that history–and it’s what makes me so hopeful for our future. In my heart and my soul, I believe in Upstate New York, I believe in you, and I believe in our promise and our potential.

That is as true tonight as it was growing up on Birdsall Street–where just about everyone worked in the factories and just about nobody cared about your political party–what mattered was your work ethic and how you treated others. Around here, we give each other the benefit of the doubt; when we face adversity, we pull together and we push through it; when we see injustice in the world, we stand up to it. And we always fight for–and stand with–the underdog, the overlooked, the counted-out, and the left-behind.

Those are Upstate New York’s values, and I am going to take them with me to Congress.

Because, man, they’re needed there. For too long in our economy and our politics, the deck has been stacked against everyday people–and it’s been stacked in favor of big, powerful special interests who pay politicians to do what’s best for their bottom line, not yours.

But: because of what we did today–in this election, in this district–we have an opportunity to change that.

Workers deserve fair wages, good benefits, and strong unions–so we will pass the PRO Act to support our labor movement–make it easier to form a union and harder to bust one.

Working families deserve to go to bed at night knowing they can make ends meet, put food on the table, put clothes on their kids’ backs and keep a roof over their heads–so we will stand up to the monopolies, crack down on the price gouging, and do everything we can to cut taxes for the Middle Class.

Seniors deserve the right to retire with dignity–so we will work tirelessly to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and I will be damned if I’m gonna let anyone cut a nickel from the benefits you’ve earned–because you’ve earned them.

Industrial towns from Johnson City to Oneonta to Walton to Ellenville–they deserve a rebirth. So let’s shred the bad trade deals that made Wall Street rich by shipping American jobs overseas, and let’s join together to bring good manufacturing jobs back home–because Made in America is not a political slogan around here–it’s in our sweat and blood.

My children’s generation deserves better than to be left with a planet that’s burning and drowning. Our kids deserve a planet with clean air to breathe and clean water to drink–so let’s join the movement (born in the Catskills and the Hudson Valley) to protect our environment and to fight against climate change and to do it with the urgency the moment demands.

Our farmers are the backbone of Upstate New York’s economy–and our culture. They deserve a seat at the table, a say in the conversation, and a square deal in the end–so let’s work together to pass a Farm Bill that’s written for our small family farms–and not for the Big Ag monopolies that need to be broken up, not given more power.

And let me be crystal clear on this: women deserve the right to make their own healthcare decisions–so I will sponsor the Women’s Health Protection Act on Day One, and together we will fight like hell to put Roe v. Wade back into law.

And you deserve to have your voice heard in our politics. I know that you don’t have an army of lobbyists to do your bidding. You don’t have a slush fund to buy influence with politicians. You have your voice, and you have your vote–and that’s good enough for me.

That’s why I’ve never taken a penny of corporate PAC money, and I never will–because I’m going to Congress to fight for you. And when I’m there I’m going to do all I can to overturn Citizens United and get the dark and dirty money out of our politics.

So, we have a lot of work ahead of us. But I also know that we’ve already accomplished something really important together.

You see, if all you knew about our politics is what you saw on cable news or read on social media or heard in the political establishment’s echo chambers, then you might think we were hopelessly divided. This campaign has proven that we’re not.

Over the course of this campaign, I’ve had the chance to talk to folks from all backgrounds, all walks of life, and all political views. Democrats (like me) who want to secure the border and put America first. Republicans who support reproductive rights and marriage equality. Independents who just want our leaders to stop playing politics and get the job done.

And all of you have inspired me. You’ve reminded me that we’re not going to agree on everything–that’s just not how democracy works–but we will always strive to see the best in each other.

We certainly don’t disparage others just because of who you vote for–we don’t call each other garbage or anti-American or the enemy. Whether you voted today for Donald Trump or for Kamala Harris or for none-of-the-above, what matters to me is that you’re an American, and you voted, and that’s one of the most patriotic things you can do these days.

In this district, in this moment, in this election–we came together to reject the politics of fear and division and lies–the old, tired political playbook of dividing people up and pitting them against each other, the politics of tearing people down just so the political establishment and the special interests can enrich themselves at the expense of the working class. We rejected that.

And we sent a message: that’s not how we do things here. We’re better than that. In Upstate New York–and on this campaign–we lift each other up, we have each other’s backs, and we work together toward a common purpose.

That work begins tomorrow in earnest. But tonight we celebrate, and we say thanks to everyone who made this win possible.

Josh Riley
Congressman Elect, New York’s 19th District