New York Democrats Target Republican House Opponents on Border Security
Challengers are attempting to reverse the GOP's strategy on border issues while competing for five crucial battleground seats.
TroibNews 
NEW YORK — New York Democrats aiming to challenge vulnerable House Republicans are turning the tables on border security, taking the fight to their GOP opponents on a traditionally Republican stronghold.
While Republicans continue to dominate the conversation, especially criticizing Kamala Harris’ role as “border czar” in the Biden administration, Democratic candidates in key districts around New York City are addressing violent incidents related to new migrant arrivals. They argue that the southern border is too open and hold government figures, including fellow Democrats, accountable.
This strategy mirrors the successful campaign tactics of Democrat Tom Suozzi, who won an off-cycle House race on Long Island in February.
“Any candidate running for office this year who doesn’t address border security — and have a solid position and plan on it — is at peril of turning off voters,” Suozzi senior adviser Kim Devlin noted in an interview.
Even though Democrats have been struggling in public opinion polls on this issue, which is a top priority for voters, they are putting border security at the center of their campaigns.
Josh Riley upstate and Laura Gillen on Long Island, both in rematches against House Republicans seeking a second term, are vocally addressing the issue. They criticize Republican inaction in Congress while also holding President Joe Biden accountable.
Their opponents, Reps. Marc Molinaro and Anthony D’Esposito, have criticized Democratic policies on border, immigration, and bail laws as dangerous for New Yorkers. These Republicans, along with fellow vulnerable New York House Reps. Mike Lawler and Brandon Williams, introduced the Illegal Offender Registry Act earlier this month.
Responding to voters' concerns has proven effective for Suozzi, and Riley and Gillen believe it is crucial for their own campaigns. The districts they aim to represent have a moderate-to-conservative political leaning, making it essential not to ignore the issue.
“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 in an interview. She added, “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.”
While the number of migrants illegally crossing the southern border has decreased with Biden’s tightening of asylum restrictions, Republicans persist in arguing that his policies make the country vulnerable to threats like drug cartels. They also accuse Democrats of opportunism for emphasizing the border issue now.
Democrats have targeted elected Republicans for rejecting a bipartisan Senate border deal earlier this year, following Suozzi's messaging strategy.
The swing districts are close enough to New York City to witness how Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has struggled with an influx of migrants over the past two years, making the movement of newcomers a political flashpoint.
The matchups of Riley-Molinaro and Gillen-D’Esposito are among six critical New York House races that could determine the next majority in Congress.
Democrats hope to overturn the Republican gains from 2022, but their emphasis on border control comes with the challenge of proving their sincerity to voters.
Recently in upstate New York, Riley, a former Senate counsel, held a news conference to criticize both Biden and Molinaro on their failed border security efforts, a stance he has maintained since at least September.
Molinaro’s campaign dismissed the criticism as laughable. The freshman House member said, “Josh Riley was one of the leading legal activists — 34 submissions to the United States Supreme Court — that led to the dismantling of the Trump border security policies.”
Riley, as an attorney, had contested Trump’s travel ban from several Muslim-majority countries.
“The fact that Molinaro is attacking me for that just shows how desperate he is to pass blame to other people instead of doing his job,” Riley retorted in an interview, highlighting the failures of career politicians on both sides.
In the Long Island district abutting New York City, Gillen and D’Esposito continue their debate on border security. Gillen, the Democratic former Hempstead Town supervisor, emphasized the issue’s importance to voters.
“We know what happened,” she said in an interview. “Trump said, This is a political issue, let’s exploit it and let’s not fix the problem. And my opponent has gone along with him 100 percent.”
D’Esposito responded, “If Laura Gillen actually cared about securing America’s borders instead of playing politics, she would demand accountability from Kamala Harris for her failure to end the migrant crisis while serving as the administration’s ‘border czar.’”
Former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair and Long Island Rep. Steve Israel commented on the need to address voters’ concerns directly.
“A fundamental rule in politics is you have to meet voters where they are. If you’re in a district where they’re telling you they’re concerned about immigration, you’ve got to have something sensible to say about it,” Israel said in an interview. “Whether it’s opportunistic or just what a good representative does is almost irrelevant.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
While Republicans continue to dominate the conversation, especially criticizing Kamala Harris’ role as “border czar” in the Biden administration, Democratic candidates in key districts around New York City are addressing violent incidents related to new migrant arrivals. They argue that the southern border is too open and hold government figures, including fellow Democrats, accountable.
This strategy mirrors the successful campaign tactics of Democrat Tom Suozzi, who won an off-cycle House race on Long Island in February.
“Any candidate running for office this year who doesn’t address border security — and have a solid position and plan on it — is at peril of turning off voters,” Suozzi senior adviser Kim Devlin noted in an interview.
Even though Democrats have been struggling in public opinion polls on this issue, which is a top priority for voters, they are putting border security at the center of their campaigns.
Josh Riley upstate and Laura Gillen on Long Island, both in rematches against House Republicans seeking a second term, are vocally addressing the issue. They criticize Republican inaction in Congress while also holding President Joe Biden accountable.
Their opponents, Reps. Marc Molinaro and Anthony D’Esposito, have criticized Democratic policies on border, immigration, and bail laws as dangerous for New Yorkers. These Republicans, along with fellow vulnerable New York House Reps. Mike Lawler and Brandon Williams, introduced the Illegal Offender Registry Act earlier this month.
Responding to voters' concerns has proven effective for Suozzi, and Riley and Gillen believe it is crucial for their own campaigns. The districts they aim to represent have a moderate-to-conservative political leaning, making it essential not to ignore the issue.
“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 in an interview. She added, “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.”
While the number of migrants illegally crossing the southern border has decreased with Biden’s tightening of asylum restrictions, Republicans persist in arguing that his policies make the country vulnerable to threats like drug cartels. They also accuse Democrats of opportunism for emphasizing the border issue now.
Democrats have targeted elected Republicans for rejecting a bipartisan Senate border deal earlier this year, following Suozzi's messaging strategy.
The swing districts are close enough to New York City to witness how Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has struggled with an influx of migrants over the past two years, making the movement of newcomers a political flashpoint.
The matchups of Riley-Molinaro and Gillen-D’Esposito are among six critical New York House races that could determine the next majority in Congress.
Democrats hope to overturn the Republican gains from 2022, but their emphasis on border control comes with the challenge of proving their sincerity to voters.
Recently in upstate New York, Riley, a former Senate counsel, held a news conference to criticize both Biden and Molinaro on their failed border security efforts, a stance he has maintained since at least September.
Molinaro’s campaign dismissed the criticism as laughable. The freshman House member said, “Josh Riley was one of the leading legal activists — 34 submissions to the United States Supreme Court — that led to the dismantling of the Trump border security policies.”
Riley, as an attorney, had contested Trump’s travel ban from several Muslim-majority countries.
“The fact that Molinaro is attacking me for that just shows how desperate he is to pass blame to other people instead of doing his job,” Riley retorted in an interview, highlighting the failures of career politicians on both sides.
In the Long Island district abutting New York City, Gillen and D’Esposito continue their debate on border security. Gillen, the Democratic former Hempstead Town supervisor, emphasized the issue’s importance to voters.
“We know what happened,” she said in an interview. “Trump said, This is a political issue, let’s exploit it and let’s not fix the problem. And my opponent has gone along with him 100 percent.”
D’Esposito responded, “If Laura Gillen actually cared about securing America’s borders instead of playing politics, she would demand accountability from Kamala Harris for her failure to end the migrant crisis while serving as the administration’s ‘border czar.’”
Former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair and Long Island Rep. Steve Israel commented on the need to address voters’ concerns directly.
“A fundamental rule in politics is you have to meet voters where they are. If you’re in a district where they’re telling you they’re concerned about immigration, you’ve got to have something sensible to say about it,” Israel said in an interview. “Whether it’s opportunistic or just what a good representative does is almost irrelevant.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
