Republican Announces Early Run Against Rep. Maloney
Starting her campaign a year earlier that most candidates do, Chele Farley announced her run for the 18th congressional district against Democrat and current office holder Sean Patrick Maloney last week.
Accusing Maloney of embracing socialism, Farley came out swinging against the Cold Spring resident, who is in the middle of his fourth term in office and would be up for reelection in 2020. She particularly hit Maloney over his endorsement of the Green New Deal that has been a much talked about proposal put forward by Democrats in hopes of changing the dire direction of climate change, but has a sky-high price tag attached to it. In a press release announcing her candidacy, she vowed to find “practical and workable solutions” for the Hudson Valley.
“This district definitely needs infrastructure and lower taxes,” Farley said, adding New Yorkers aren’t getting enough money back from Washington. She blasted Maloney as ineffective during his tenure in Congress.
“He’s no longer representative of this district that Trump won,” Farley, who founded a private equity firm and has a background in engineering, said.
Besides dinging him over the Green New Deal, Farley criticized Maloney for his support of Medicare-for-all that she called too expensive. Farley said healthcare costs require fixing, but tweaking it would be better like allowing insurance plans to be purchased over stateliness. As for the environment, Farley said she wants to maintain clean air and water, but it has to be done in an economical way.
While Maloney easily trounced his last two GOP opponents in 2016 and 2018, respectively, Farley believes she can make the race more competitive. She pointed to stronger fundraising numbers than past candidates and more enthusiastic support from the National Republican Congressional Committee. (The NRCC has placed Maloney on a list of a handful of Democrats they will be targeting in 2020.) Farley also said she’s spoken with the White House about the race and has
President Trump’s support. He won that district narrowly in 2016 when he ran against Hillary Clinton.
Farley is a proud supporter of Trump, but one area of disagreement she has with the president is over the SALT deduction cap that passed along with the new tax bill last year, which has hurt high tax states like New York. Farley said she would negotiate with Trump to increase the cap a homeowner can deduct from their taxes, which is currently only $10,000.
Maloney, in past press briefings, said he would support Trump when his policies would help the Hudson Valley and be a check on Trump when his actions were detrimental. Last November after an easy election win, Maloney said he would focus on healthcare and infrastructure needs during this current term. He said in a Fios television appearance earlier this month there should be a public option for people that want to buy into Medicare- for-all, but people that like their private insurance should be allowed to keep it.
The 18th district covers all of Putnam and Orange counties, and parts of Dutchess and Westchester counties.
Farley ran against US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in 2018 and was crushed, only garnering 33 percent of the vote statewide. It was her first time running for public office.
From that experience, Farley learned she needs to start campaigning and raising money earlier, which is why she’s already thrown her hat into the ring. Having enough money to get her name and message out is key, she said.
“It is really important to take back the House,” Farley said.
