June 28 and the November election

Rep. Chris Gibson’s decision to quit politics has created something very rare—an open congressional seat in a swing district.

The Republicans have endorsed John Faso, a lobbyist and Albany insider. He’s already amassed a huge campaign war chest, and he can count on the national party to pour money into the race.

But Faso may be no match for Zephyr Teachout, a progressive reformer with a national reputation. Teachout is one of the leading voices on the corrupting influence of money in politics; her work was cited by Supreme Court Judge John Paul Stevens in his dissent from the disastrous Citizens United decision.

Teachout is tough—and fearless. In 2014 she challenged Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic gubernatorial primary and ended up winning half the counties in the state. Many observers believe her surprisingly strong showing was one of the reasons Cuomo finally got off the fence and banned fracking.

Now Teachout is prepared to take on John Faso, whom she believes to be out of touch with voters on key issues such as a woman’s right to choose—he’s called Roe v Wade “a black mark against this country”.

But before Teachout squares off against Faso, she must win a primary where she faces a political unknown who is waging a relentless direct mail campaign. Strange things can happen in an election where very few people vote. Democrats who want the best shot at winning in November should turn out and vote for Zephyr Teachout on June 28.

Bruce Ferguson

Callicoon Center, NY