The campaign of Democratic Rep.-elect Pat Ryan pointed to abortion rights — and connecting the issue to broader themes like democracy and freedom — helped propel his victory last month in the special election for the Hudson Valley's 19th Congressional District.
Ryan's campaign on Wednesday released a post mortem assessment of the contest to replace Democratic Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado in the House of Representatives and how he was able to secure a victory against Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro.
The victory by Ryan in the district is being looked to by Democrats as a potential roadmap for winning in other closely divided bellwether districts this fall in the general election. Republicans, however, believe the special election results come with multiple caveats, and have continued to hammer on themes like inflation and public safety as more apt to motivate voters in the weeks ahead.
Ryan's team pointed to a variety of factors that helped drive Democratic turnout while also acknowledging there are limitations to what conclusions can be drawn from a special election.
Still, the campaign's memorandum pointed to an immediate focus on abortion in the special election held after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
"Pat’s pro-choice message resonated with voters because it 1) told an authentic story about how his personal experience and values informed his determination to fight for abortion rights and 2) framed abortion rights as part of the larger battle against the Republicans’ all-out assault on our basic freedoms, protections, and safety," the campaign wrote in the memorandum.
Republicans have a different view: They point to the special election overlaping with primary day in August, with multiple intraparty contests being held for nominations in November. Candidates running for Congress and statewide have continued to point to polling that shows voters have ranked economic concerns over consumer prices as well as crime as their top ranked issues this year.
Either way, a rematch for the 19th special election won't happen as both Ryan and Molinaro are running in newly drawn adjacent House districts. Ryan will face Republican Colin Schmitt; Molinaro is running against Democrat Josh Riley.