Josh Riley | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's19th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Marc Molinaro |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joshua Paul Riley (1981-01-21)January 21, 1981 (age 44) Endicott, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | College of William and Mary (BS) Harvard University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Joshua Paul Riley (born January 21, 1981) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as theU.S. representative forNew York's 19th congressional district since 2025. A member of theDemocratic Party, he previously worked as a policy analyst at theU.S. Department of Labor and as counsel on theU.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. His district covers the southeastern part ofUpstate New York, which includes rural areas and the cities ofIthaca andBinghamton.
Joshua Paul Riley was born on January 21, 1981,[1][2] inEndicott, New York, to Paul and Barbara Riley.[3][4] He graduated fromUnion-Endicott High School in 1999 and earned abachelor's degree in government and economics from theCollege of William & Mary in 2003.[5][6][7]
During college, Riley worked as an aide to U.S. RepresentativeMaurice Hinchey, whom he credited with inspiring his interest in public service.[8] After graduating, he worked as a policy analyst at theUnited States Department of Labor, focusing on unemployment and trade adjustment programs.[8]
In 2004, Riley enrolled atHarvard Law School, where he worked as aHeyman Fellow on theU.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.[7][6] He also volunteered for a legal aid clinic to assist victims ofHurricane Katrina inNew Orleans.[3] He graduated with aJuris Doctor in 2007 and was presented the Dean's Award for Community Leadership from then-Dean of Harvard Law School and currentU.S. Supreme Court JusticeElena Kagan.[3][7]
After law school, Riley worked as an associate in the law firm ofBoies Schiller Flexner for two years.[7] He then clerked for JudgeKim McLane Wardlaw of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in California.[7][3] From 2011 to 2014, he served as general counsel to SenatorAl Franken on theU.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.[5][9] Riley later returned to Boies Schiller Flexner, where he became a partner and remained until 2021.[5] He then worked as a partner atJenner & Block.[5]
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In November 2021, Riley declared his candidacy for Congress inNew York's 22nd congressional district, challenging incumbent Republican U.S. RepresentativeClaudia Tenney.[10] Due to redistricting, redrawing of the map by a court-appointed special master, and U.S. RepresentativeAntonio Delgado resigning to become theLieutenant Governor of New York, Riley ended up running in the new19th congressional district.[11]
The old 19th district was represented byPat Ryan, a Democrat, who won theAugust special election to succeed Delgado but ran in the newNew York's 18th congressional district in the November general election due to redistricting.[12] The 18th district became vacant when incumbent U.S. RepresentativeSean Patrick Maloney decided to run in the neighboring17th congressional district after redistricting, which forced out U.S. RepresentativeMondaire Jones, the incumbent of the 17th district.[13]
Riley defeatedDutchess County businesswoman Jamie Cheney in the Democratic primary and faced Republican nominee and Dutchess County executiveMarc Molinaro in thegeneral election.[14] Molinaro lost theAugust special election toPat Ryan for the old 19th district, but was on the ballot again in November for the new 19th district.[14] Molinaro defeated Riley in the general election.[15]
In November 2024, Riley was the Democratic nominee in a rematch against incumbent Republican Representative Marc Molinaro for New York's19th congressional district.[16][17] He won with 51.1% of the vote to Molinaro’s 48.8%,[18] and contributed to a broader Democratic win in New York state, where the party flipped three House seats.[19]
Riley was sworn into office on January 3, 2025, and was assigned to the House Committees onAgriculture and onScience, Space, and Technology.[1] The following month, he introduced his first bill – abipartisan measure to update the Department of Energy’sWeatherization Assistance Program by raising funding caps and broadening eligibility for low-income households.[20]
Amid an ongoingavian flu outbreak in New York state, Riley introduced bipartisan legislation to expand financial aid to all poultry producers within affected control zones, with the aim to support family farms, contain the virus, and lower grocery costs for consumers.[21] He subsequently cosponsored the Lowering Egg Prices Act, a bipartisan bill to ease federal regulations that do not distinguish between fresh andpasteurized eggs, which Riley says contributes to the annual waste of 400 million otherwise usable eggs.[22]
For the119th Congress:[23]
Riley's caucus memberships include:[1]
Riley lives inIthaca, New York, with his wife, Monica Kohli, a strategy consultant.[1] They married inWashington, D.C., in 2016 and have two sons.[24][3]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Josh Riley | 31,193 | 62.61% | |
| Democratic | Jamie Cheney | 18,625 | 37.39% | |
| Total votes | 49,818 | 100% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Marc Molinaro | 129,960 | 45.18% | |
| Conservative | Marc Molinaro | 16,044 | 5.58% | |
| Total | Marc Molinaro | 146,004 | 50.76% | |
| Democratic | Josh Riley | 124,396 | 43.25% | |
| Working Families | Josh Riley | 17,113 | 5.95% | |
| Total | Josh Riley | 141,509 | 49.20% | |
| Write-in | 105 | 0.04% | ||
| Total votes | 287,618 | 100% | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Josh Riley | 170,049 | 45.06% | |
| Working Families | Josh Riley | 22,598 | 5.99% | |
| Total | Josh Riley | 192,647 | 51.05% | |
| Republican | Marc Molinaro | 164,001 | 43.46% | |
| Conservative | Marc Molinaro | 20,289 | 5.38% | |
| Total | Marc Molinaro (incumbent) | 184,290 | 48.84% | |
| Write-in | 406 | 0.11% | ||
| Total votes | 377,343 | 100% | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 19th congressional district 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 420th | Succeeded by |
