John Faso’s decisive victory in the Republican primary gives voters in New York’s 19th Congressional district a clear general election choice between Faso and far-left New York City professor Zephyr Teachout.
The contrast between Faso and Teachout in the race to succeed Rep. Chris Gibson could not be more clear.
For John and his wife, Mary Frances, the 19th District is home. They’ve lived in this community for 33 years. They started their careers here. They raised their families here. And they’ve been serving their community in ways large and small since the day they set down their roots here.
In the New York Assembly, John developed a reputation as responsible and intelligent, drawing attention to wasteful spending and fiscal gimmicks. John developed and pushed proposals that led to real balanced budgets – including the first reduction in state spending in decades while closing a $5 billion deficit. John championed legislation that made a difference for tens of thousands of families, such as the STAR program and education and property tax reform.
Teachout, in contrast, joins a long list of New York City carpetbaggers who have moved Upstate, shopping for a congressional district. (See: Eldridge, Sean) Teachout follows the same pattern – moving to a rental property in the district from New York City just a few months ago, after Chris Gibson announced his retirement from Congress. Teachout only registered to vote here in January. (Ironically, Teachout went to state supreme court in 2014 to prove that she was a Brooklyn resident — rather than a Vermonter — so that she could run for governor of New York!) Teachout has reportedly told Fordham University that she’ll be returning to campus if she loses this year’s race.
Professor Teachout has a radical “progressive” agenda that has nothing in common with the values of the 19th Congressional District. She is simply looking for a perch to launch a national crusade for taxpayer-subsidized elections and other left-wing causes. In fact, she’s already called for higher taxes on individuals and small businesses; she supports an energy plan that would increase our electricity costs; she promises a single-payer health care system that would further destroy our health care and economy; and she wants to force federal gun restrictions that would take away the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
In short, Professor Teachout is a leftist elitist who thinks she knows better than we do.
Teachout also supports the disastrous Iran nuclear deal and has supported the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. The professor’s views come directly from the ivory towers of the academic elite — far outside the mainstream views of 19th district voters.
This is a race between a transient and hard-left-wing academic elitist shopping for a congressional seat, and a smart, passionate, and common-sense conservative with a deep record of service to his community.
John Faso (R-Kinderhook) is former Republican leader of the state Assembly and candidate for Congress in the 19th Congressional district. To learn more about Faso, visit johnfaso.com.