In a strategic shift, New York Democrats are turning the tables on Republican House incumbents by aggressively targeting them on border security. Candidates like Josh Riley and Laura Gillen are seizing on this traditionally Republican issue to challenge their opponents in crucial battleground districts.
Josh Riley, who is running in a rematch against Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro in upstate New York, has gone on the offensive, highlighting border security concerns and condemning violent incidents linked to new arrivals in taxpayer-funded shelters around New York City. Similarly, Laura Gillen, competing against Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on Long Island, is making border control a focal point of her campaign.
This approach mirrors the successful strategy of Tom Suozzi, a Democrat who won an off-cycle House race on Long Island by emphasizing border security. Suozzi’s senior adviser, Kim Devlin, stressed the importance of addressing border security in this election cycle, noting that any candidate without a solid position on the issue risks alienating voters.
Despite Democrats traditionally being at a disadvantage on immigration issues, candidates like Riley and Gillen are unencumbered in their criticisms, targeting both Republicans in Congress and President Joe Biden’s administration. This stance is seen as necessary in districts that lean politically moderate-to-conservative.
“Democrats don’t always do great on the issue of immigration. It’s obviously a go-to attack for Republicans most of the time,” said Lanae Erickson of the center-left think tank Third Way. “It’s more like trying to get back to even with voters on who can handle immigration, and showing that we actually care about the issue.”
The Riley-Molinaro and Gillen-D’Esposito races are among six New York House contests that could determine control of the chamber next year. Democrats are aiming to reverse the gains Republicans made in 2022 when they flipped four seats. By emphasizing border control, Democratic candidates hope to resonate with voters concerned about immigration and the associated impacts on their communities.
Riley has been vocal about the failure of both parties to secure the border, criticizing his opponent Molinaro and even President Biden. “The career politicians on both sides of the aisle have completely failed us,” Riley said in a recent interview.
Meanwhile, Gillen has linked her opponent, D’Esposito, to the broader Republican stance on immigration, accusing him of exploiting the issue for political gain without offering real solutions. D’Esposito responded by attacking Harris’s role as the administration’s “border czar,” a point Republicans have used to criticize Democratic handling of the border.
As the November elections approach, the focus on border security by New York Democrats represents a significant shift in strategy, highlighting the evolving dynamics of this critical issue in American politics.
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