Josh Riley

Josh Riley is a Democratic politician and attorney representing New York's 19th Congressional District. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2024, defeating incumbent Marc Molinaro, and assumed office on January 3, 2025. Born and raised in Endicott, New York, Riley graduated from the College of William & Mary with a degree in government and economics before earning his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2007, where he received the Dean’s Award for Community Leadership. His professional career prior to Congress includes serving as a policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Labor, a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and general counsel to Senator Al Franken on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Riley also worked in private practice as a partner at the law firms Boies Schiller Flexner and Jenner & Block, where he focused on litigation involving civil rights and labor issues. In the 119th Congress, he was appointed to serve on the House Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Josh Riley's policy platform emphasizes economic support for working-class families, advocating for middle-class tax cuts and the closure of corporate tax loopholes. He supports strengthening domestic manufacturing and has expressed opposition to trade agreements that lead to the outsourcing of American jobs. In healthcare, Riley advocates for expanding access, lowering the cost of prescription drugs through government negotiation, and protecting Social Security and Medicare. He is a supporter of reproductive rights and has pledged to codify abortion access into federal law through the Women's Health Protection Act. Riley also prioritizes campaign finance reform, including banning corporate PAC contributions and increasing transparency in political spending. Additionally, he supports 'common-sense' gun safety legislation such as universal background checks and measures to keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers.