New York Congressional Primaries are Tuesday

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There are many congressional primaries in New York on June 28 -- including three in the Hudson Valley.

The fight for the GOP line in the 18th District is down to two -- Phil Oliva and Ken Del Vecchio -- after a crowded start.

The 18th congressional district, which is currently represented by Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney of Cold Spring, includes Putnam and Orange counties as well as the northeast corner of Westchester County and part of Dutchess County.

Oliva received endorsements from the New York State Conservative Party and local Republicans, winning 73 percent of the vote in a four-county Republican nominating convention in Middletown back in February.

Oliva is a top advisor for Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino. He is also the President of Gipper Communications, LLC, a New York-based consulting firm. He lives in Somers.

Filmaker and author Del Vecchio was an early Trump supporter. The Orange County resident's top issues include stimulating the economy, ensuring the protection of life, and working to abolish the IRS.

There are primaries for both parties in the 19th District, where Republican Rep. Chris Gibson decided not to seek a third term. The 19th is made up of all of Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster counties, and parts of Broome, Dutchess, Montgomery, and Rensselaer counties.

On the GOP side, John Faso of Kinderhook faces off against businessman Andrew Heaney of Washington.

Faso has been endorsed by the Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform parties. His experience in public office includes being an early champion of the property tax cap during his unsuccessful run in 2006 for governor.

Heaney is running as an outsider, emphasizing the need to shake up the corridors of power including lobbyists as well as politicians.

On the Democratic side, a surprising political celebrity is fighting a local public servant. Dutchess County resident Zephyr Teachout picked up more than a quarter of Democratic votes in the New York gubernatorial primary in 2014. Will Yandik is the deputy supervisor of Livingston, in Columbia County.

CityandstateNY.com previewed the races:

NY-18: REPUBLICAN PRIMARY Phil Oliva, Kenneth Del Vecchio
At one point at least six Republicans wanted to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who is in his second term. However, only two Republicans ended up on the primary ballot: Phil Oliva, a political communications consultant and a top aide to Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, and Kenneth Del Vecchio, an independent filmmaker, author and former judge. While the two have similar fundraising totals, Oliva has the backing of local Republican officials. The Hudson Valley district has been a swing seat, but higher turnout could make it hard for the eventual GOP nominee to knock out the incumbent this fall.
NY-19: DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Zephyr Teachout, Will Yandik
Zephyr Teachout burst onto New York’s political scene in 2014, when she mounted a surprisingly strong challenge to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and won about a third of the vote in the Democratic primary. Now, with Republican Rep. Chris Gibson stepping down after two terms representing all or part of 11 counties in the mid-Hudson region, Teachout is making another run for elected office. Teachout, a law professor at Fordham University, will face Will Yandik, a Livingston deputy supervisor in Columbia County. Yandik has tried to differentiate himself from Teachout by highlighting his deep roots in the community while balancing his support for gun control with an emphasis on gun rights. Teachout hasn’t been slowed, leading the fundraising with $530,732 – more than double Yandik’s haul – garnering more high-profile endorsements, and running ahead by 30 percentage points in a recent Time Warner Cable News/Siena College poll. The winner will face either John Faso, the former Assembly minority leader, or businessman Andrew Heaney.
NY-19: REPUBLICAN PRIMARY John Faso, Andrew Heaney
There’s a battle for the 19th Congressional District within both parties. On the GOP side, John Faso, a lawyer who once served as Assembly minority leader, is facing businessman Andrew Heaney for the mid-Hudson seat that is being vacated by another fellow Republican, Rep. Chris Gibson. The race has also been one of the more contentious in the state, featuring insults, attack ads and allegations of illegal behavior. Faso, who is seeking a comeback after his failed gubernatorial bid in 2006, has touted the support of the Republican, Conservative, Reform and Independence parties as well as Robert Bishop, a third candidate who is on the ballot but dropped out of the race and endorsed Faso in May. In a high-spending contest, Heaney leads Faso in fundraising, pulling in $1.23 million compared with Faso’s $1.08 million. But a recent Time Warner Cable News/Siena College poll found that Faso has a 22-point lead over Heaney, due in part to his significantly better favorability ratings. The winner will face either law professor Zephyr Teachout or Livingston Deputy Supervisor Will Yandik.

Polls are open Tuesday from 6 AM to 9 PM in Westchester, Orange and Putnam and from noon to 9 p.m. in other counties.

Want to make sure of your polling place? Use New York State's voter search form online.