Josh Riley

REPLACING:

Marc Molinaro (R) [i]

WORK HISTORY:

Jennifer & Block LLP (Partner); Boies Schiller, Flexner LLP (Partner); Boies Schiller, Flexner LLP (Counsel); Senate Judiciary Committee Privacy Technology and the Law Subcommittee (Counsel); Boies Schiller Flexner LLP (Associate); U.S. Appeals Court for the Ninth Circuit (Law Clerk); Office of Representative Maurice Hinchey (Staff Assistant) [ii]

EDUCATION:

JD, Harvard Law School; BA, College of William and Mary; Diploma, Union-Endicott High School [iii]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Championing Equality for All; Creating Opportunities for People with Disabilities; Cutting Tax for the Middle Class; Defending Abortion Rights; Empowering Labor; Ending Gun Violence; Enhancing Public Education; Expanding Access to Healthcare; Fighting Corruption and Corporate PACS; Fostering Innovation; Honoring our Veterans; Improving Public Safety; Lifting Children out of Poverty; Lowering Costs; Protecting Social Security; Protecting our Environment; Pursuing Peace through Strength; Securing the Border; Strengthening our Democracy; Supporting Small Farmers; Making Things in America Again; Working Toward Racial Justice [iv]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Riley believes that women should make decisions about their healthcare without political intervention. He plans to sponsor the Women’s Health Protection Act, to restore protections under Roe v. Wade, and support a reproductive rights constitution amendment. Riley opposes actions to restrict access to birth control, IVF, or mifepristone. He touts championing a case in federal court to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and serving as a lead attorney in the U.S. Senate to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which creates a comprehensive response to domestic violence and sexual assault against women. [v]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Riley criticizes politicians from both parties for the state of the Southern border. He supports securing the border through policies that increase border agents and immigration judges, improve technology at the ports of entry to halt fentanyl trafficking, update visa programs to grant farmers and trades unions access to labor, and create a pathway to legal immigration. [vi]

ECONOMY & JOBS:

Riley advocates for organized labor and plans to support the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which allows workers to collectively bargain. He touts working to protect labor rights as a policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Labor and a fellow on the U.S. Senate & Labor Pensions Committee. [vii] Riley also supports innovative products like batteries, semiconductors, and solar panels that will revitalize the economy and “rebuild the middle class.” He believes artificial intelligence and digital currency need “clear and balanced policies” that foster innovation, empower consumers to establish public-private partnerships, deter fraud, and promote national security. [viii] [ix]

TAXES:

Riley plans to cut taxes for the middle class, arguing that “hedge fund managers” should not pay lower tax rates. He proposes closing interest loopholes that allow “Wall Street to pay lower tax rates than Main Street” and creating a wealth surtax on annual income over $5 million and on trusts and estates valued more than $25 million. Additionally, Riley plans to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit to aid low-income families. [x]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Riley is “adamantly opposed” to defunding the police and advocates for allocating more resources to public safety. He supports reforming New York’s cashless bail policies to grant judges the discretion to prosecute repeat and violent offenders. As counsel in the U.S. Senate, Riley worked with the National Sheriffs Association and National Association of Police Organizations to support bipartisan legislation, including the Justice & Mental Health Collaboration Program and the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program. He advocates for policies that support law enforcement agencies, including grant programs, collective bargaining rights, enhanced retirement benefits, and increased overtime pay. [xi]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Riley believes the environment is facing existential threats that require bold action. He prioritizes environmental protections that hold polluters accountable, ensure access to clean drinking water, and preserve natural resources, including the Catskills, Hudson River, Delaware River Basin, and the Finger Lakes. Riley also advocates for energy independence that reduces reliance on fossil fuels, creates jobs through “American-made products” to fight climate change, and authorizes the Environmental Protection Administration to combat climate change. [xii]

FOREIGN POLICY:

Riley argues that protecting America requires policies that confront foreign adversaries like Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea. [xiii] He supports combating terrorism and “the states that sponsor it.” Riley condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel and conveyed support for Israel’s right to defend itself. Riley called for the United States to stand with its allies and “do everything practicable to avoid escalation.”[xiv] He is endorsed by the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC. [xv]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Riley believes that healthcare in America should be a civil right that prioritizes patients over profits. He supports measures that lower prescription drug costs, create a public option to increase competition, and expand healthcare access to schools and rural communities through telehealth services. Riley also advocates for parity in mental and physical health services, protecting healthcare rights for women, and expanding Medicare to cover hearing, dental, and vision. [xvi]

DEMOCRACY:

Riley is dedicated to safeguarding civil rights and restoring trust in democracy. He vows to refuse corporate PAC donations, support term limits for public officials, and overturn the landmark Citizens United decision to “get dark money out of politics for good.” To strengthen voting rights, Riley advocates reforming campaign finance laws and ending partisan gerrymandering. [xvii] [xviii]

SOCIAL ISSUES:

Riley is committed to protecting the constitutional freedoms granted under the Respect for Marriage Act and prohibiting discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. Riley also plans to ban “dangerous conversion therapies.” [xix]