On October 18th, at 8:00pm, Representative Chris Gibson faced off against his challenger Julian Schreibman for the newly formed 19th Congressional District seat. The area includes all or parts of 11 counties including Montgomery, Schoharie, Rensselaer, Columbia, Greene, Dutchess, Ulster, Sullivan, Broome, Delaware, and Otsego. You can view the map here.
Congressman Gibson, a Republican from Columbia County, was elected in 2010 when he defeated Rep. Scott Murphy in what was the old 20th District. He rose to the rank of Colonel during his 24 year career in the Army that included four combat tours in Iraq. He currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Agriculture Committee and the House Policy Committee.
Schreibman is a partner in the law firm Wachtel Masyr and Missry. The Ulster County native also served as a lawyer for the CIA where he received the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for his role in the prosecution of a terror bombing case. He also worked as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan and was a senior district attorney in Ulster County.
WMHT has held a debate for this district seat for the last four elections, including in 2010 when then-challenger Gibson opposed Murphy. You can view that debate here.