Josh Riley touts 1500 donors in day after primary win

Democrat Josh Riley is wasting no time fundraising for the general election after winning his party’s nomination for the 19th Congressional District on Tuesday. Riley’s campaign said Thursday that 1,500 individuals made contributions to his campaign the previous day, calling it “a new fundraising record.” Riley’s total haul since Wednesday, including the 1,500 individual online donations, totaled $65,000, his spokesperson said. Riley will face Republican Marc Molinaro on the ballot in November to represent the swing district stretching from the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier to the Hudson Valley. Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive, lost a special election to represent the existing 19th District on Tuesday to Democrat Pat Ryan, the Ulster County executive. Riley, a lawyer from Endicott, won 61% of the vote to become the party’s nominee. Riley’s campaign noted Thursday that he outraised Molinaro by more than 40% during the pre-primary filing period between July 1 and Aug. 3, bringing in $177,820, compared to Molinaro’s $128,452. “Grassroots support for this campaign shows that people want change – restoring women’s reproductive freedom, getting corporate money out of politics, and strengthening the Middle Class – and that’s what we’re going to deliver,” Riley said in a statement.