Alison Esposito, former Zeldin running mate, eyes bid for Congress in Hudson Valley
Retired New York City police officer Alison Esposito, Lee Zeldin’s Republican running mate for lieutenant governor last year, is eyeing a run for Congress in the Hudson Valley in 2024.
Esposito has a home in Goshen in the 18th Congressional District currently represented by first-term Democrat Rep. Pat Ryan, the former Ulster County executive and Iraq combat vet.
“I’m humbled by the many people who have reached out encouraging me to run for office, including challenging Pat Ryan. If I decide to run, he would have a real fight on his hands,” Esposito told The Post.
“Ryan is a weak congressman leading from behind and is not on the forefront of the important issues facing Hudson Valley. As a new generation Republican who grew up in Orange County and served as deputy inspector in the NYPD, I truly know what New Yorkers are looking for and I am more resolved than ever to fight for what they need.” Esposito said.
While in DC last week, she met with House Republicans, the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee and New York GOP House members, who are encouraging her to run, sources said.
“Alison has been approached by several leadership groups and organizations in the Republican Party to run for Congress. … She is definitely being courted to run. She was born and raised in Orange County, and spent her formative years there,” a source close to Esposito said.
New York, as it was during the 2022 midterms, likely will be a battleground again in determining whether Republicans or Democrats control the House after the 2024 presidential election.
Republicans in New York were able to flip four swing seats last year, helping the GOP to secure a slim House majority — largely running on a law-and-order message and painting Democrats as soft on crime for loosening the state’s bail law.
But Ryan, a West Point graduate, is a proven vote-getter and would be formidable no matter the opponent. He was elected Ulster County executive in 2017.
He secured a full term in Congress, defeating Republican Colin Schmitt last fall in a close contest, while two other Hudson Valley Democrats lost.
Ryan’s team declined comment on a potential challenge from Esposito.
Democratic sources wonder how serious Esposito is about running for Ryan’s seat.
Her name also has been floated to run for indicted serial-liar Long Island Rep. George Santos’ seat.
She resides in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, according to voting records.
Ryan raised more than $1 million in the first quarter of this year, more than any incumbent in a competitive district.
