Marcus J. Molinaro CONConservative

Marcus J. Molinaro (moh-lin-AIR-oh; born October 8, 1975) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 19th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Molinaro was a member of the Dutchess County Legislature and the New York State Assembly before being elected county executive of Dutchess County, New York in 2011. He was reelected county executive in 2015 and 2019. Molinaro is also a former mayor of Tivoli; when he became mayor at age 19, he was the youngest mayor in the United States. Molinaro was the Republican nominee for governor of New York in 2018, losing to Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuomo. On September 21, 2021, Molinaro announced that he would run for New York's 19th district in the United States House of Representatives in 2022. In the special election held on August 23, 2022, Molinaro lost to Democratic nominee Pat Ryan, the Ulster County executive, 51.2% to 48.8%. Molinaro was the Republican nominee for the same seat in the November 2022 general election, this time defeating Democratic nominee Josh Riley under new district lines. Ryan, who defeated Molinaro in August, was also elected to a full term simultaneously in a neighboring district.