It is one of the few congressional seats in New York where Democrats are on the defensive.

Hudson Valley Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat, is looking to rebuff a challenge from Republican Alison Esposito in New York’s 18th District.

Ryan, an Army vet and former Ulster County executive, has served in Congress for one term. Esposito, a former NYPD officer, ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor of New York two years ago.

The district stretches across the Hudson River, from Orange County to Dutchess County. In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden carried the district by roughly 9 points. Two years later, Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for governor, narrowly finished on top there.

The fight for the 18th District, along with others across New York, could help determine which party controls the U.S. House starting in January. It is a reality not lost on voters.

“I want the Democrats to keep the House of Representatives,” said Ryan supporter Margaret King of Millbrook Village. “It’s extremely important.”

“Has to be Donald Trump in the White House with a Republican Senate and House giving him the support needed to make our country go forward,” Robert Schoonmaker, an Esposito supporter from Walden, told Spectrum News 1.

Political handicappers, including the Cook Political Report, consider Ryan a slight favorite to win.

On the Issues

On the campaign trail, Ryan is making abortion rights a central tenet of his message to voters, drawing on the playbook he used to win the seat two years ago.

Ryan casts his opponent as out of step with the district on abortion. Esposito, who has argued the court was right to return the issue to the states, says she would not vote for a federal ban.

“It’s a states rights issue,” Esposito said. “In New York it's solidified, it's codified well beyond the protections of Roe. In New York, the voters have spoken. So as a federal candidate, I cannot and will not affect abortion in New York State.”

Esposito has hit Ryan over immigration and the recent influx of asylum seekers into the state. She knocks him for not supporting a border bill crafted by House Republicans.

Ryan notes he called on President Biden to take executive action for some time. He wanted to see the Senate’s bipartisan border plan get a vote.

“This is about keeping fentanyl out of our community. It's about keeping my constituents safe from illegal guns and drugs and violent criminals,” Ryan said. “I'm thankful that [Biden] finally listened, and we have seen the numbers come down at the border. But we have to secure the border. That shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”

Both candidates say affordability and the economy are top issues for voters.

Ryan says they have made progress, but notes more must be done, including to rein in the cost of housing. He says he has been working on a “comprehensive housing agenda.”

Esposito argues the key to lowering prices is energy independence and reducing regulation.

Breaking from Harris and Trump?

In recent weeks, Esposito has taken to casting Ryan as a rubber stamp for the Biden administration — a claim Ryan disputes.

Spectrum News 1 asked both candidates about where they see themselves breaking from the top of their respective tickets.

Where might Ryan break with Kamala Harris and her legislative agenda? 

“I hope people have seen in my two years in Congress, I'm an independent representative who is about the district first,” Ryan said. “I've stood up to President Biden on the border; I've called on him to step aside running for president, which is a pretty unprecedented thing to do, because I think that’s right for the country, right for my constituents.”

Where might Esposito oppose Donald Trump?

“We have to see what he puts forth once he's in office,” she said. “Right now, I agree with energy independence. I agree with American prosperity. I agree with lower taxes on all Americans.”

“I don't want to see Social Security cut,” she continued. “If you were to propose a Social Security cut, I wouldn't be onboard with that.”

Campaigning with Gov. Hochul

When Spectrum News 1 caught up with Ryan on the campaign trail over the weekend, he was helping lead a get-out-the-vote rally alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul in Millbrook.

He praised Hochul for her work spearheading New York Democrats' new coordinated campaign initiative, aimed at both flipping Republican-held competitive congressional districts across the state and protecting Democrat-held districts like his.

"The Democratic Party, a few years ago, was a selfish party from our former governor," Ryan said. "Now, thanks to Gov. Hochul, this is a team effort."

Hochul, in an interview, said she hoped part of her political legacy would be crafting a state party that is "fully functioning" and that "stays turned on all four years and not just when a governor is running for his own benefit or her own benefit."

"This state party was nothing. It was in shambles, and I brought it to be a powerhouse," she said.

Recent polling has shown Hochul's favorability underwater, even lower than Trump in New York.

Asked if he was afraid that appearing with Hochul could be a drag on him, Ryan said, "Obviously not."

"I want to get [things] done. That means working with the governor of our state. That means working with all the members of the New York congressional delegation," he said.