The race in the Hudson Valley’s 19th Congressional District between Republican Marc Molinaro and Democrat Josh Riley is expected to be one of the closest in the state.

The district runs from Tompkins County in the west to Columbia County in the east. Inflation is a top issue there.

"Democrats decided to spend trillions of dollars without concern for the impact," said Molinaro.

He says spending bills that were passed to help people through pandemic-related hardships are partly to blame for increased spending and higher prices. He told News 12 that he plans to get Washington, D.C. spending under control.

"The continued increase in the cost of everything, from gas to groceries, and home-heating fuel…People can't afford it. They need a government that respects them and respects their dollars."

Riley blames all Washington politicians on both side of the aisle for inflation. He says, for a generation, both sides supported policies that hurt manufacturing and shipped jobs overseas. He says tax relief for the middle-class could help while he tries to influence longer-term policy.

"There are hedge fund managers and investment bankers making millions of dollars on Wall Street and paying lower tax rates than public school teachers and firefighters and police officers in Upstate New York,” he said. “That's ridiculous. We should start giving working families a break for once."

On the issue of crime, Molinaro – the Dutchess County executive and former state assemblyman – says adding 200,000 police officers across the nation and fully-funding drug task forces would be a start.

Riley – who started his career as an assistant to the late Rep. Maurice Hinchey and later served as general counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee – has worked with police in several ways to reduce crime. He says he helped secure funding for treatment of addiction and mental illness.

Riley is pro-choice. Molinaro says, he's personally pro-life, but is OK with abortion access during the first trimester.

"I do not support late-term abortion, except in the cases of life of the mother, rape and incest, and I do not support a national ban. I do not believe Congress has the right to impose one."

"I believe in access to health care services,” said Riley. “I believe that abortion is health care and that woman’s health care decisions – politicians have no business, none whatsoever, in the OBGYN’s office."

Several polls indicate the race could be decided by less than a percentage point.