Peter Oberacker, a Republican state senator representing New York’s 51st district, announced his campaign against incumbent Democratic Rep. Josh Riley to represent New York’s 19th congressional district.

The announcement was made official in an Oct. 5 video on YouTube, and Oberacker officially kicked off his campaign the next day at an event in his hometown of Schenevus, New York. The announcement came a week after he registered to run with the Federal Election Commission. Oberacker is currently serving a third term as senator, whose district includes parts of Broome, Delaware, Schoharie, Sullivan, Otsego, Chenango and Ulster Counties.

In 2024, Riley beat Republican incumbent Marco Molinaro by less than three points.

“Service has always called me,” Oberacker said in his campaign launch video. “As a volunteer firefighter and EMT, and as a town supervisor and county legislator, where I balanced budgets without raising taxes, because I know every dollar matters to families like ours.”

“And in the state senate, I carry those same values with me — standing up for families, supporting law enforcement and protecting taxpayers from Albany’s failed leadership,” he continued. “Fighting when necessary, reaching across the aisle when it matters, always guided by one mission — serving the people, not the politicians or special interests.”

Before entering politics, Oberacker primarily worked in the private sector. As marketing manager and executive chef at ConAgra Poultry, he worked on sales strategies and new food development for companies like KFC and Wendy’s before becoming a food scientist. He then founded his own food science company, now called Agradigm, Inc., which develops food additives.

Oberacker will now face Riley in the 2026 election cycle.

The Riley campaign responded to Oberacker’s campaign announcement, claiming Oberacker was an “Albany insider” who “has been selling out Upstate New York for years.” Riley’s campaign manager, Maddie Summers, accused Oberacker of accepting money from New York State Electric and Gas while they implemented price hikes for upstate customers.

“This guy was a corporate executive for a ‘big ag’ monopoly that put small family farms out of business, and he’s spent his entire career in Albany cashing corporate PAC checks from NYSEG while letting them jack up rates,” Summers said.

Riley has vocally opposed rising utility costs and proposed legislation in September [HYPERLINK: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/rep-josh-riley-proposes-legislation-to-ban-foreign-ownership-of-american-utility-companies/170179/] to prohibit foreign businesses and governments from owning public electric companies in the United States. The three largest utility companies in the 19th district — NYSEG, Central Hudson and National Grid — are all owned by foreign entities.

While Oberacker received $250 in May from Avangrid, NYSEG’s parent company, filings show that the company made two $100,000 donations to the New York Democratic Party last year.

The Riley campaign also said Oberacker falsely claimed to be “Upstate NY Born and Raised” in an Instagram post and for saying that he was “born and raised” on upstate soil in his campaign video. Records show Oberacker was born in Merrick, Long Island and moved to Schenevus as a child.

“While Peter Oberacker’s busy rewriting his own biography in an attempt to fool NY-19 voters, Josh Riley’s fighting to lower costs and make health care more affordable for hardworking Upstate families,” said Riya Vashi, spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in a press release. “If Oberacker is willing to lie about something as simple as where he’s from, imagine what he’ll say and do in Washington.”

In response, the Oberacker campaign claimed Riley did not sufficiently represent small towns like Schenevus and criticized him for not supporting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed over the summer.

“Wearing flannel does not make you a farmer,” said Oberacker during the campaign kickoff. “And putting on a Carhartt can’t hide who you really are.”

Much of his campaign has centered around his connection to farmers and the upstate agricultural community. In the launch video, titled “Soil,” Oberacker is featured driving a tractor, fixing a fence and petting a horse. He also touts his upstate “roots,” describing his father’s sausage-making business and his mother’s role as a local elected official.

On Oct. 8, Oberacker campaigned in Broome County, with protesters supporting Riley standing outside the Holiday Inn Hotel where the event took place.

“We need more leaders who remember where they came from, not those who show up for just the cameras or treat our farmlands as nothing more than a photo op,” Oberacker said.