Former MSNBC and CNBC anchor Dylan Ratigan joined a crowded field Wednesday as he announced his run for Congress in the state's 21st District.
Now the tenth Democratic candidate to challenge Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Ratigan announced the bid in his hometown of Saranac Lake. Saying he was looking to have "serious" conversations about the issues in the North Country, he said his knowledge and life experience in finance, media, and agriculture (he co-founded a hydroponic farming business) make him more qualified than any of the current contenders, as well as Congresswoman Stefanik.
Ratigan says his years in the media, as well as his book "Greedy Bastards" about Corporate America, make his life an open-book. He admitted he smoked pot in college and that he had never voted in an election. He also sensed he would get pushback about being a carpetbagger in the district, but he pointed out that he's lived in Lake Placid since 2012. We read him the official statement from the National Republican Congressional Committee criticizing his entrance into the race.
We'll have more this weekend on your local PBS station, including reaction from fellow Democratic challengers Katie Wilson and Emily Martz.
