Riley Significantly Outraises Oberacker in Congressional Race

By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
UPSTATE NEW YORK

Incumbent representative for New York’s 19th Congressional District, Democrat Josh Riley, significantly outraised Republican challenger state Senator Peter Oberacker in the latest filing period.

From October 1 through the end of 2025, Riley’s direct campaign contributions totaled $640,569.03 to the Oberacker campaign’s $195,977.90, Federal Election Commission filings by the campaigns show. Oberacker loaned his own campaign an additional $130,000.00.

Riley also received contributions totaling $76,000.00 through the Josh Riley Victory Fund over the same period, and $93,118.24 via the Square Deal PAC (Political Action Committee) from July 1 through the end of 2025. Additional monies were transferred to Riley’s accounts from other fundraising groups, among them organizations raising money for multiple Democratic candidates.

At the conclusion of the filing period, Riley’s campaign had $2,390,019.74 on hand with no debts and the Oberacker campaign had $195,631.10 on hand with $130,000.00 in debt.

The NY-19 race is expected to be one of the most closely watched and expensive in the country in this year’s midterm elections. When Riley won his first term in a rematch with Republican Representative Marc Molinaro in 2024, it was by a margin of only 8,357 votes. For both parties, every seat counts in a House of Representatives narrowly controlled by Republicans.

“Thousands of Upstate New Yorkers are stepping up to power our fight against corporate greed and Washington corruption,” Riley said in a press release. Throughout the cycle, “we’ve raised nearly $3.5 million without taking a dime from corporate PACs—because I work for you, not them. I’m humbled by that trust, and I won’t let you down.”

Asked for campaign comment on the fundraising numbers, Oberacker campaign consultant Vince Casale said, “No one cares about a boring fundraising story,” and pointed to President Donald Trump’s recent endorsement of Oberacker.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” Riley’s Campaign Manager Maddie Summers said in the release.

“Upstate families are standing with Josh because he’s delivering real results—from fighting utility rate hikes to supporting local farms and protecting Social Security. Meanwhile, our opponent is writing six-figure checks to himself because he can’t build the grassroots support needed to win. Even national Republicans aren’t investing in Oberacker’s campaign—a clear sign that they don’t see him as a viable candidate,” Summers said.