Meet the Candidates Seeking to Replace Kevin Cahill - 103rd Assembly District (including Hurley)
Two state Assembly candidates squared off Thursday in a debate marked by the Republican critical of his opponent’s socialist ideals while the Democrat pitched her positions as being similar to ones held by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and current U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Patrick Sheehan of the town of Ulster and Sarahana Shrestha of the town of Esopus participated in the one-hour virtual debate hosted by the Freeman. The two are running for the 103rd Assembly District seat currently held by Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston, a 13-term lawmaker who was defeated by Shrestha in a June primary.
New York’s new 103rd Assembly District comprises the city of Kingston, and towns of New Paltz, Woodstock, Olive, Hurley, Marbletown, Gardiner, Rosendale, Esopus, Ulster, Red Hook and Rhinebeck.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Early voting starts on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Sheehan, a realtor, said he decided to run to help prevent a Democratic socialist from making inroads into state and local governments after witnessing the defeat of Cahill.
Shrestha said that the positions she holds are similar to ones pushed by Roosevelt during his presidency in the 1930s and 1940s. Shrestha, who is endorsed by the Mid-Hudson chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, is a Nepali native who became a U.S. citizen in 2019.
“What we are fighting for are the same things that FDR wanted to do and talked about during the Second World War, including his attempt to prevent landlords from wrongfully evicting tenants, (and) price control on basic goods during inflation,” Shrestha said.
In addition, Shrestha is a supporter of government takeover of utility companies such as Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp.