Former Hudson Valley Congressman Chris Gibson is weighing in on the race for his old seat.
Incumbent John Faso, who succeeded Gibson by beating Zephyr Teachout in 2016, is locked in a tight battle with Democrat Antonio Delgado of Dutchess County. The swing district is often one of the most watched and expensive in the country. Faso (R-Kinderhook) has taken heat for some of the ads, produced by the NRCC and a GOP Super Pac, running against Delgado showing clips of a music video he made in his earlier career as a rapper where he curses, says the "n word" and lines like “Dead presidents can’t represent me, not when most of them believe in white supremacy, like spittin’ on my ancestry."
The Republican said, "The tone and tenor of his lyrics, as reported, are not consistent with the views of most people in our district, nor do they represent a true reflection of our nation."
The New York Times came out with an editorial accusing Faso of "race-baiting" and this week a Woodstock radio station pulled one of the ads it called "highly offensive."
Rep. Gibson told us he was bothered by the "tone" of the race.
There are currently no televised debates between the two. For full disclosure, WMHT-TV has proposed one with both Mr. Faso and Mr. Delgado, but the incumbent wants everyone who has qualified for the ballot to be invited. The other candidates, Diane Neal and Steven Greenfield, do not qualify under our guidelines.
Watch our interview with Gibson and former Congressman Jim Slattery this weekend in a bipartisan conversation about deficits,division and dysfunction.
