Former New York lieutenant governor candidate enters House race to oust Pat Ryan in 2024

Republican Alison Esposito has entered the race to unseat Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), deemed a target by House Republicans who hope to widen their narrow majority in the lower chamber in 2024.

A champion of national Republicans, Esposito said she is running to “take on the Washington political machine.”

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“We must reclaim our American dream & save our beloved state & country,” the 25-year veteran of the New York Police Department said while announcing her campaign on Tuesday.

Esposito unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin in the 2022 midterm elections. She will now run to unseat Ryan, who has represented New York’s 18th Congressional District since 2023. He previously served as the representative for New York’s 19th Congressional District from 2022 to 2023 after winning a special election.

“President Biden and his allies in Congress have left our nation a shell of its former self,” Esposito said in a news release announcing her congressional campaign. “Our southern border is non-existent, inflation has left families choosing between gas and groceries, and we have relinquished our standing on the world stage.”

“Right now, the Hudson Valley is represented by a defender of President Biden’s failed policies. Instead of fighting for everyday hardworking families, our representative is fighting for his own self-interest,” Esposito continued.

Zeldin, who represented New York’s 1st Congressional District from 2015 until 2023, was one of several Republicans who voted not to certify the 2020 presidential election. He continued to promote claims of election interference and fraud, which have been debunked.

Ryan’s seat was one of several that signaled the “red wave” predicted to strike the 2022 midterm elections did not happen as planned. However, the GOP did flip several seats in New York, helping to hand control of the House to Republicans.

The National Republican Congressional Committee released a list of several races that they consider to be key pickup opportunities in March. Nearly all of the ones listed were those listed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as “front-line” seats it knows are vulnerable but is trying to preserve.

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Heading into 2024, Democrats will need to not only protect Ryan’s seat but also win back those flipped by Republicans last cycle. The House Majority PAC, the main Democratic super PAC in House campaigns, announced a $45 million investment into New York and hired a war room in April.

Esposito had been mulling a campaign launch into the race for Ryan’s seat since May. The district Ryan represents is a swing district encompassing the Catskills and parts of Hudson Valley, located about 80 miles north of New York City. Ryan held on to his seat by a slim margin against a new challenger in the 2022 midterm elections.