Ariel Zangla in the Daily Freeman compares the two Democrats running in the new 19th Congressional District in the Aug. 23 primary election. Jamie Cheney, 43, founded Prokanga, a recruiting and consulting firm, and owns Falcon’s Field farm in Dutchess County. She has a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Yale University. Riley, 41, is an attorney, and was general counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He has a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary. Neither have run for office before, and the winner faces longtime Republican politician Marc Molinaro, who is now the Dutchess County Executive, but does not live inside the new 19th Congressional District. “Protecting reproductive rights, enacting meaningful gun reform, and addressing the everyday ‘wallet’ issues are top priority for me,” Cheney said in a prepared statement. Cheney also named passing the Women’s Health Protection Act, and expanding background checks for gun purchases and an assault weapons ban. as priorities. Riley lists defending and strengthening democracy, revitalizing and strengthening the economy, cutting costs for working families, protecting the environment, and addressing health care as his priorities. “Our democracy is imperiled and we must protect and strengthen it, including by amending the Electoral Count Act to ensure peaceful transitions of power; restoring the Voting Rights Act to make it easier to vote, not harder; overturning Citizens United to fix our broken campaign finance system; and ending partisan gerrymandering,” Riley said in a prepared statement. “I’ve argued in federal court and I believe in my heart and soul that health care should be a civil right in America, not something that bankrupts so many families,” Riley said. “We must restore women’s access to abortion, improve access to healthcare in rural communities, and invest in mental health services.” Cheney also mentioned pocketbook issues. “We also need to help our working families who are getting crushed by inflation,” Cheney said. “This includes lowering the Medicare age from 65 to 60, increasing Social Security payouts, and bringing back the expanded child tax credit.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.