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Pat Ryan (politician)
American politician (born 1982) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Patrick Kevin Ryan (born March 28, 1982)[1][2] is an American businessman, politician, and former U.S. Army intelligence officer serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 18th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the representative for New York's 19th congressional district from 2022 to 2023 after being elected in a special election. Before being elected to the House, he was the county executive of Ulster County, New York.[1][3][4]
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Early life and career
Ryan was born and raised in Kingston, New York.[5] His mother was a public school teacher and his father owned a small business.[6] He graduated from Kingston High School in 2000.[7] He then earned a Bachelor of Science in international politics from the United States Military Academy in 2004 and a Master of Arts in security studies from Georgetown University.[8] Two of his West Point classmates are fellow Congressmen John James and Wesley Hunt.[9]
Ryan served in the United States Army as a military intelligence officer from 2004 to 2009.[10] He completed two combat tours in Iraq, including a deployment to Mosul in 2008 during the height of the insurgency. He attained the rank of captain and was awarded two Bronze Star Medals, along with an Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal.[11]
From 2009 to 2011, he worked as the deputy director of Berico Technologies, as a subcontractor for Palantir Technologies in Afghanistan.[10] He co-founded Praescient Analytics, a software company, in 2011. From 2015 to 2017, he was a senior vice president of Dataminr, an artificial intelligence platform. In 2018 and 2019, Ryan was a senior adviser at New Politics.[12]
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Ulster County executive (2019–2022)
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In February 2019, Ulster County Executive Mike Hein resigned to take a position in New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration. On April 30, Ryan defeated Republican nominee Jack Hayes in the special election to succeed Hein;[13] he took office on June 7, 2019. He became the second executive of Ulster County since it adopted a county charter in 2008.[14] In November 2019, he defeated Hayes in a rematch to win a full four-year term as county executive.[15]
As county executive, Ryan piloted a universal basic income program, wherein 100 families in the county received $500 per month.[16][17] He also enacted several environmental protections in Ulster County, committing to fully transition the operations of the county government to renewable energy by 2030 and partnering with SUNY Ulster to promote green energy jobs.[16]
On January 14, 2020, Ryan endorsed Pete Buttigieg in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. In a statement, Ryan cited Buttigieg's military service, his "bold progressive vision," and his "moral leadership" as his reasons for support.[18][19]
On September 9, 2022, Ryan stepped down as Ulster County executive. The deputy county executive, Johanna Contreras, was sworn in as acting county executive that day.[20]
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U.S. House of Representatives (2022–present)
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Elections
2018
Ryan first ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. In the Democratic primary in New York's 19th congressional district, he received 18% of the vote to Antonio Delgado's 22%. Delgado defeated incumbent Republican representative John Faso in the general election.[21]
2022 special
After Delgado resigned from Congress on May 25, 2022, to become lieutenant governor of New York, Ryan announced that he would run in the special election to succeed Delgado.[1] Ryan was chosen as the Democratic nominee on June 9 at a meeting of Democratic county party chairs.[22]
In the August 23 special election, Ryan faced the Republican nominee and Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. Ryan was seen as the underdog as every poll had him trailing Molinaro, and many believed that President Joe Biden's unpopularity would hinder Democrats in the swing district. Ryan narrowly defeated Molinaro by 2,858 votes, 51.1%–48.8%,[23] which was considered an upset. He outperformed Biden's 2020 margin in the district by 0.8%. In explaining his victory, political observers noted that Ryan campaigned strongly in favor of protecting abortion rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade.[24] His victory was attributed to college-educated voters', particularly women's, support for abortion rights.[4][25]
Molinaro and Ryan both ran for Congress again in the general elections in November 2022 for the newly redrawn 19th and 18th districts, respectively. Each won in his respective district.[26]
2022
In November 2022, Ryan contested the state's 18th district, which was changed from its previous configuration after redistricting.[1][4] On the same day as his special election victory in the 19th district, Ryan won the Democratic nomination for the regular election in the 18th district.[4] He defeated Republican nominee Colin Schmitt[27] in the general election.[28]
Tenure
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Ryan was sworn into office on September 13, 2022, as the U.S. representative for New York’s 19th congressional district.[29] During the 118th Congress, he was appointed to the House Committee on Armed Services.[30] Two weeks into office, Ryan's first bill, the Expanding Home Loans for Guard and Reservists Act, passed the House with bipartisan support. The bill addressed a gap in VA loan eligibility for certain National Guard and Reserve members.[31]
In February 2023, Ryan was among twelve Democrats to vote for a resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency.[32][33] In July, following catastrophic flooding in his district in New York’s Hudson Valley, he assisted in local recovery efforts and coordinated with federal agencies to secure aid for affected communities, including West Point, which sustained severe damage.[34][35]
Ryan is a staunch opponent of congestion pricing in the most congested parts of Manhattan.[36]
On July 10, 2024, Ryan called for Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 United States presidential election.[37]
Committee assignments
Ryan's committee assignments for the 119th Congress include:[38]
Caucus memberships
Ryan's caucus memberships include:[39]
- New Democrat Coalition
- Defense Modernization Caucus (co-chair)
- Monopoly Busters Caucus (co-chair and co-founder)
- Gun Violence Prevention Task Force (vice chair)
- Congressional Equality Caucus[40]
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Personal life
Ryan lives in Kingston with his wife, Rebecca Ryan (née Grusky). They married in 2015 and have two children.[39] He was previously married.[41] His grandfather served on the Kingston City Council.[42] He is Roman Catholic.[39]
Electoral history
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References
External links
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