Here's the week in the news for Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook), the District 19 Congressperson for the WGXC listening area. The Fivethirtyeight.com website currently reports Faso votes with Donald Trump's positions 90.0 percent of the time, the same as last week, as the House of Representatives has not been in session. Click here to download or play an audio version of this report (6:47).

• David Lombardo is reporting for the Times Union U.S. Rep. John Faso, a Republican, leads Democratic challenger Antonio Delgado by five points among likely voters, according to a Siena Research Institute poll released late August 30. The lead is within the 4.8 percent margin of error. Siena pollster Steve Greenberg said the five-point lead shows Faso has "a real race on his hands." The poll did not factor in Green Party candidate Steve Greenfield. Forty-five percent of those polled favored Faso, 40 percent liked Delgado, while the remaining 24 percent are still neutral. Nearly half of the voters polled have no opinion about Delgado, but his favorable rating is 12 percentage points higher than his unfavorable rating. While Democrats have largely made a decision about the race, 14 percent of Republicans say they have not. Faso leads among independent voters and men, but Delgado has a large lead among women. Delgado's strength is in Dutchess and Ulster counties, where the poll results indicate he is in the lead with 49 percent. Read the full story in the Times Union.

• Salvador Rizzo in The Washington Post fact-checks the Congressional Leadership Fund's new attack ad against Rhinebeck-based Democrat Antonio Delgado, who is running for the U.S. House seat now held by John Faso, a Republican who lives in Kinderhook. The Washington Post gives the ad four Pinocchios, and says it is largely false. The ad does not focus on Delgado's positions on issues. Instead, it is all about Delgado's 2006 hip hop album. It claims the lyric “dead presidents can’t represent me” have Delgado “attacking our democracy” and “mocking our values,” when actually "dead presidents" is rap slang for money. Read the full story in The Washington Post.

• The River Reporter writes about the candidate forum Aug. 29 in Callicoon with incumbent Republican Congressperson John Faso, and Democratic challenger Antonio Degaldo. Sponsored by the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, the Friends of the Upper Delaware River, the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed and the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, the forum focused on the environment. Faso bragged about helping to obtain funding for the Upper Delaware Council, and aiding in efforts to get $5 million in funding this year for the Delaware River Conservation Act. Delgado spoke about the need for alternative energy in the district. Discussion of the Farm Bill, though, highlighted the differences between the candidates. Faso said, "Most of the issues have to do with SNAP and enhanced work rules for SNAP," which Faso supported and which will lower the number of people eligible for food stamps. "But leaving that aside, I do think we're going to compromise on that, and some of these other issues are going to get compromised out." Delgado called the cuts in food stamps "cruel". He said, "With all of the hunger and the pain that people are feeling out there right now, the food deserts that people have to endure, why are we going about figuring out how to make it more difficult to eat for those people? I don't get it." Read the full story in The River Reporter.

• Nick Reisman at New York State of Politics reports that former Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Democrat Antonio Delgado in the 19th Congressional election against incumbent Republican John Faso on Sept. 4. “I am proud to endorse Antonio Delgado for Congress in New York’s 19th congressional district,” Biden said. “The people of upstate New York deserve an engaged representative with local, working class roots who understands their concerns and provides a positive vision for a better future. Antonio has consistently championed the right to universal quality, affordable healthcare for everyone. Antonio will continue to fight for the rights of everyone in his district by putting in the hard work and being accountable.” Read the full story at New York State of Politics.

• David Lombardo reports in Capitol Confidential that after a House Republican PAC has been running anti-Antonio Delgado ads for weeks, now the House Democrats PAC is placing ads against John Faso in the New York 19th District Congressional election. The House Majority political action committee is spending more than $800,000 on advertisements attacking the freshman Republican for taking campaign contributions from the insurance industry and then voting for tax breaks for insurance companies. Republicans have been running ads critiquing Delgado's 2006 hip hop album he released under the name "AD the Voice." The Democrats' 30-second attack ad begins airing at the unofficial start of the campaign, the day after Labor Day, while a one-minute pro-Delgado ad started airing last week. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.

• The Fivethirtyeight.com website updated their election forecasts for the U.S. House votes this fall on Sept. 3, and they are still predicting the narrowest of victories by Democrat Antonio Delgado over incumbent Republican John Faso, 48.1 percent to 47.9 percent. The election analysts did adjust the results from a Siena College poll released last week that showed Faso had a five-point advantage over Delgado. The website says the poll is more like a 1.2 percent advantage for Faso, "based on shifts in the generic congressional ballot since the poll was conducted; and polls are adjusted for house effects (the tendency for a firm’s polls to lean toward Democrats or Republicans)." Previously, an IMGE Insights poll gave Faso a five-point lead (which the website adjusts to a 3.6 percent lead), and a DCCC Targeting Team poll gave Delgado a seven-point lead (which the website adjusts to a 3.1 percent advantage). See the Fivethirtyeight.com website for complete details.