Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) raised over $3 million in 2023 with no assistance from super PACs as he prepared to battle Republicans in the only New York swing seat in the Empire State that has Democrats worried.
Ryan’s campaign said in a release that he raised nearly $3.2 million last year thanks to donations from 5,500 people, with 90% of donations coming in under $50. In the fourth quarter, he raised $761,394.25. He ended 2023 with $2.2 million cash on hand.
Republican candidate Alison Esposito, a champion of national Republicans, raised $250,194 since entering the race in October 2023, according to Ryan’s campaign. Campaign finance records with the Federal Election Commission do not show any money raised for Esposito. Lovelynn Gwinn, the other Republican candidate for New York’s 18th Congressional District, raised $14,033 and has $7,792.14 cash on hand as of records filed in September 2023. Ryan’s campaign reported Gwinn raised $19,790.
“The grassroots energy that powered Pat to two hugely consequential victories in 2022 is only getting stronger,” Ryan’s finance director, Kevin Ralph, said in a statement. “Pat isn’t accepting a cent of corporate PAC money and he’s proven that it doesn’t matter how many far-right MAGA extremists Republicans throw at him – the Hudson Valley knows Pat fights on the side of freedom.”
New York is shaping up to be a significant battleground state for both Republicans and Democrats. Democrats were handed a victory after New York’s top court ruled the congressional maps need to be redrawn before the 2024 election, handing ultimate deciding power to the Democratic-controlled state legislature. The campaign arm of House Democrats is already targeting several vulnerable Republicans, such as Reps. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Marc Molinaro (R-NY), all members who flipped their districts blue in a narrow 2022 midterm elections win.
However, Democrats are also keeping an eye on the 18th District, where Ryan is the only Democrat facing a competitive reelection contest. He previously served as the representative for New York’s 19th District from 2022 to 2023 after winning a special election.
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Republicans targeted Ryan’s seat in 2022 as part of their anticipated red wave, but his ability to hold on to the seat was one of several displays that the red wave did not strike as expected. Still, Ryan won by a slim margin, giving Republicans hope that they might be able to flip the seat red.
Ryan will likely face Esposito, a former New York City Police Department deputy inspector who lost the 2022 contest for lieutenant governor after running with failed gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. Democrats will need to protect Ryan’s seat if they hope to regain control of the House in 2024. 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.