Political Reformer Anthony Brindisi Focuses on Education, Healthcare in Bid to Unseat Incumbent Claudia Tenney

Unlike many first time Democratic candidates running for federal office this year, Anthony Brindisi is no stranger to working across the aisle to get things done. While many of his peers have yet to hold office at any level of government, Brindisi already boasts a successful career serving in the New York State Assembly, experience he hopes will serve him as he looks to unseat Republican Representative Claudia Tenney, who has served the 22nd Congressional District since 2017.

Brindisi, known in New York as a political reformer who was named as one of five “Young Guns” in the Assembly, touts his independent record and willingness to work across the aisle as reasons why he believes his campaign will be successful come November.

“People in this district are tired of business as usual in Washington that doesn’t get anything done for them. They’re tired of the broken system that produces one-sided healthcare bills, one-sided tax reform that favors the wealthy, and one-sided trade deals that hurt our farmers. I’m not afraid to reach across the aisle, and if we get more people in Congress who can do that, we’ll start getting things done,” says Brindisi.

On the campaign trail Brindisi has turned his focus to local issues, including healthcare, education and infrastructure, and he highlights Tenney’s partisan voting record as evidence that she is out of touch with her constituents. In stark contrast to Tenney, who often uses sharp political rhetoric, Brindisi says his focus is bringing Republicans and Democrats together to address the major issues facing the people he represents.

Brindisi has focused much of his energy in the Assembly championing the Career and Technical Education (CTE) diploma pathway that allows high school students to acquire skills training for in-demand jobs and trades, making it easier for them to find good-paying jobs in the district without a traditional four-year degree. While in the Assembly, Brindisi sponsored a bipartisan bill that would require the state’s educational leaders to develop programs to guide students down the path to a more vocational alternative to what he argued is a “one-size-fits-all” Regents diploma. Brindisi has pledged to work to strengthen CTE programs if elected to Congress.

Brindisi has also been an advocate for public schools in his hometown of Utica where he served on the school board.

“I’ve served on the Utica school board and the Education Committee in the Assembly. Strengthening our public schools and ensuring that everyone has access to a quality education in their own community is a top priority of mine. I fought for Upstate public schools in Albany, and in Congress I’ll continue to advocate on behalf of teachers and students,” he said.

Brindisi’s focus on local issues is not limited to education. You’ll find him on the campaign trail talking to voters about everything from healthcare to infrastructure. He says that he intends to make infrastructure revitalization and finding a bipartisan solution to lower healthcare premiums and bring down prescription drug prices a top priority if elected.

“With the constant attacks on our healthcare system coming out of Washington, premiums are going up and New York families are struggling to make ends meet. One of my top priorities in Congress is fixing our healthcare system to bring down premiums, bring down prescription drug costs, and make sure everyone has access to health insurance.”

In the end, he says he wants to effectively represent the people of New York’s 22nd Congressional District and bring both parties together to get things done.

“A representative’s number one job is to listen to their constituents. That’s why I’ve held town hall meetings in every county in the district during the campaign so I can hear directly from voters about the issues they want addressed. This is a diverse district. We have both rural areas and urban centers, and it runs from the Pennsylvania border to Canada. We need someone who will listen to everyone and fight for them in Washington,” said Brindisi.