Republican U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, NY-19, wants constituents to judge him by the things he accomplishes in Congress. He doesn’t want to be judged by stories of Machiavellian plots in Capitol cloak rooms.
“I think that we have to be defined by the work that we do now and the service that we’re going to deliver to the people of upstate New York,” Molinaro said in an interview.
Molinaro ticked off a list of things he has done including helping to “break the log jam” blocking election of a House speaker.
“I thought getting back to work and governing was the priority,” Molinaro said. “When it became clear that we were going to spend another two weeks in paralysis, I took the floor of the Republican conference, and said we can’t go back to our districts without a speaker.”
Molinaro said he met with now-Speaker Mike Johnson, and pointed out they “don’t agree on all things.” Molinaro said Johnson is much more conservative than he is. Johnson agreed that “upstate New Yorkers must have a seat at the table and will be heard in policy development,” Molinaro said.
Backing up that agreement, “symbolically, I was asked to serve on Johnson’s escort committee. This was a way of showing that districts like ours matter,” Molinaro said.
Another accomplishment Molinaro cited is his vote on money for Israel. “I supported funding $14.3 billion in aid to Israel,” Molinaro said. “Israel is not only our greatest ally in the Middle East, it’s perhaps our greatest ally.”
However, that measure was dead on arrival in the Senate because it cut funding for the Internal Revenue Service, a provision Republicans wanted and Democrats will not accept. And it didn’t include money for Ukraine. President Joe Biden wants funding for Israel and Ukraine in the same bill. The Senate is not considering the legislation, and if it does pass Congress, Biden said he would veto it.
The third item Molinaro put on his accomplishment list is a vote to remove Republican George Santos from Congress. Santos is the scandal-tarred representative from New York’s Third District. The vote to expel Santos from the House failed.
Molinaro’s vote could be seen as act of political courage because he bucked the GOP majority. He was one of 24 Republicans who voted to give Santos the boot, while 182 Republicans — along with 31 Democrats — voted against expulsion.
Molinaro also stands out because he accepts Biden’s election as president and Donald Trump’s defeat. And he “recognizes the attack on the Capitol was wrong.”
His vote against Santos is one of the few times he has defied the Republican Party line. He mostly votes with his GOP colleagues. Here are examples, catalogued by Molinarovotes.com, a volunteer-run group that documents the congressman’s votes. He voted with Republicans on all of the following bills:
“Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act,” legislation that would impose limitations on the government to prevent disinformation online; “Pandemic is Over Act,” a bill that would terminate the COVID state of emergency; and the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” a measure that would undermine the availability for abortions in New York and other states.
Molinaro followed his party on these House resolutions:
Prohibiting retirement plan managers from considering environmental, social, and governance factors in making investments; removing Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee; and a measure denouncing what was called “the horrors of socialism.”
Molinaro may be facing a difficult reelection in a purple district. The Cook Political Report is calling the race a toss up. Democrats are likely to nominate Josh Riley, setting up a rematch of the 2022 contest. Molinaro won that election by about 4,500 votes.
In 2024 voters will have a documented record to judge the incumbent on. The challenger has never held elective office.