Letter: Mike Johnson's Local Visit Prompts Demonstration for Pat Ryan

One indication of the importance that the national Republican Party places on the campaign to represent the 18^th Congressional District of New York was the presence of the  Speaker of the House Mike Johnson at a fund raiser in Orange County last week on June 22.

The fund raiser to benefit incumbent Democratic Congressman Pat Ryan’s Republican opponent, Alison Esposito, was held at the Otterkill Country Club in Campbell Hall, NY. The fundraiser maintained a low profile and tight security, but several groups in Orange County cooperated to organize a demonstration against Republican policies championed by the Speaker and by the Republican candidate seeking to unseat Congressman Ryan. 

The Warwick Democrats, The Orange County, NY Democratic Committee, and Indivisible of Hudson Valley fielded close to twenty sign bearing protesters at various approaches to the Country Club. The numbers were made even more impressive by the difficult conditions that Saturday. The temperature and humidity did not dampen the enthusiasm of the volunteers, who carried signs that concentrated on raising concerns about women’s reproductive rights and their right to prompt and appropriate medical care. Congressman Ryan’s record of support for veteran’s housing, infrastructure improvements, support of rights for LBGTQ+ and other vulnerable groups in Orange County, as well as concerns about the state of our representative democracy as it approaches the 248^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence later this week, were in evidence.

The demonstrators ran the gamut from high school students to folks in their eighties, who all felt it was important to voice their opposition, despite the difficult conditions. Provisions were made to protect those spending time in the overwhelming heat by providing water, umbrellas for shade, and ways to cool down.  They engaged respectfully with passersby and followed instructions from law enforcement officers present.

The point they were making is that the campaign for the 18^th Congressional District would be hard fought and spirited, calling the 18^th District Ryan Country.

Vera Miller

Greenwood Lake, NY

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