Marc Molinaro, the Republican candidate for New York’s 19th Congressional District special election taking place on Tuesday, told Breitbart News Saturday that he is “fighting back against high costs, over-regulation, crime on the rise, and government that’s too big.”
Molinaro, the county executive of New York’s Dutchess County, is vying to fill the vacancy of former congressman Antonio Delgado, who now serves as the Democrat Lieutenant Governor of New York. It is an opportunity to take another seat away from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) Democrat majority.
“This is a very purple district. So it has gone back and forth Republican and Democrat for four generations now. You know, leans a little right,” he said, explaining that his district is comprised of communities in upstate New York that “have been ignored by state and federal leaders.”
“They know the burden of high taxes. They feel the pain of inflation. Farmers are overwhelmed by costs. Small businesses over regulated. … New York state leads the nation in out-migration. More people leave this part of New York than any other place in the country to go to other states that are freer and more affordable,” he said, making it clear that he is vying to fight back “against high costs, over-regulation, crime on the rise, and the government that’s too big.”
If he wins the election, Molinaro said it will serve as “one step closer” to shrinking Pelosi’s majority and ultimately slowing the Democrats and their schemes.
“And we’re going to send a message that you know, we’re tired of being ignored,” he said, detailing some of the Democrat policies that are destroying the Empire State — particularly the relaxed approach to crime.
“What you’re seeing in other parts of the country was exported right? The policies of New York State exported to other parts of the country. And in New York, it’s cashless bail. It’s discovery reform. It’s weakening the ability for corrections officers to provide security within facilities. It’s not being able to prosecute young offenders who are taking and making violence — engaging in violent crime — and it’s happening all across the state,” he said, explaining that these bad policies are making things worse day by day.
“Low level offenses — burglaries, cars being broken into — and police officers can’t respond. … Prosecutors in New York have gone from either being able to prosecute 70 and 80 drug offenders, in upstate New York by the way, to not being able to prosecute any,” he said. “And then you have prosecutors in this state that purposely don’t prosecute crime and enforce the law.”
Democrats in Albany, he continued, are at fault for empowering and emboldening people who break the law. And single-party rule, Molinaro continued, has severely damaged the state; he said New Yorkers are experiencing the absolute worst of Democrat policies.
“No matter how expensive it is someplace else in America, no matter how more corrupt — how corrupt it might be in some other government in America, no matter how dysfunctional it might be someplace else in America, it is worse here in New York,” he said.
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“Single party rule. Democrats have been in charge of the state government for far too long,” he continued, explaining that gas prices, for example, are higher in New York due to the “compounding cost of taxation” and more “burden, more regulation on our local business.”
“We need voices — Republican voices in upstate New York especially — to speak out against these policies. My county cut taxes, property taxes … cut sales tax on clothing purchases. We cut the gas tax this year because we knew inflation was growing and we needed to provide relief,” he said.
“Give us that opportunity in Washington. We’re going to encourage American energy independence, drive up natural gas and oil exploration in a safe way,” he continued, adding that it is time to stop depending on countries that do not have America’s interests in mind.
Internal Democrat polling shows Molinaro leading opponent Democrat Pat Ryan in the final days of the election.
The Republican hopeful also blasted Democrats for embracing the multibillion-dollar Inflation Reduction Act.
“Only in Washington, DC, and only Democrats could think that after forcing so much federal spending into the economy, driving up inflation, driving up taxation, that the answer to all of that is to spend $700 billion more and to hire 87,000 IRS agents,” he said. “Only in Washington, DC, does that make sense, and my opponent embraced that bill before the ink was dry.”
“Reckless spending, high taxation, and over-regulation is continuing to make this economy weaker and costs more expensive,” he added, imagining what good could have been done to help veterans or first responders instead of spending billions on a fleet of new IRS agents.
“I’ve served in government long enough to know that bureaucracies go for the weakest among us,” the Republican said.
“Imagine for a moment — imagine what we could have done with 20,000 social workers to assist veterans who are homeless on our streets or maybe trauma-informed counselors in school districts all across America. Maybe we could have put those dollars towards specific support for law enforcement and police throughout America. Maybe we could be helping firefighters and emergency responders,” he continued.
“But no, this administration thinks 87,000 IRS agents is the answer to our problem. Nothing has ever been solved by growing government, and this federal government is too big. It’s too bloated and it’s too broken, and we ought to be focused on making it smaller, smarter and more effective,” he added.