A week away from Election Day, The Sun broke down where candidates on the ballot in Ithaca for Congress and State Senate stand on a variety of issues that could affect Cornell students.
State Senator Lea Webb (D-NY) and her Republican opponent Mike Sigler clash on student loan forgiveness and bail reform. In the NY-19 congressional race, incumbent Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Democratic challenger Josh Riley disagree on gun control, abortion rights and regulating free speech online.
State Senate — Webb vs. Sigler:
Student Loan Forgiveness
While in office, Webb supported student loan forgiveness, co-sponsoring a bill that would provide student debt relief for social workers who commit to work in counties with small populations.
“Student loan debt is a major financial burden for so many individuals and working families across our state,” Webb said.
Sigler, Webb’s Republican opponent, is opposed to student loan forgiveness.
“I’m not in favor of forgiving student loans. However, something does need to be done,” Sigler said in an interview with The Sun. “I can’t forgive loans where the person has never [made any payments.]”
Crime
Sigler said that bail reform is a problem and the State has implemented “bad policies” that allow criminals to avoid punishment. Webb, however, disagrees with Sigler.
Webb said that court officials need more training when it comes to bail reform. She wants to move forward with bail reform initiatives while also “getting at the root causes of what’s putting people into the system in the first place.”
Webb said, “[Bail reform] is still early in its implementation, so we still have work to do.”
According to Sigler, changes in the law have prevented judicial discretion in cases of misdemeanors and lower-level felonies. Sigler pointed out that cops have even pulled back on arrests. “They’ve actually stopped arresting [people] for certain things,” Sigler told The Sun in a previous interview. “They know if they bring them in, the judges will just let them go.”
Abortion
Abortion is a point of contention between Webb and Sigler. Webb views Sigler as an “anti-choice extremist.” A large part of Webb’s campaign centers around reproductive rights..
“Women deserve autonomy over their bodies, period, whether it’s at the county level, state or federal level,” Webb said.
Sigler said that while he is personally pro-life, he believes that the law should respect individual autonomy and is satisfied with the current abortion law allowing legal abortion up to 24 weeks in New York State.
However, Sigler’s voting record demonstrates opposition to initiatives that protect women’s reproductive rights on the county level.
“I just don’t think that the county government should be weighing into state issues like that,” Sigler said. “You could make the argument that it’s a federal issue.”
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Sigler has expressed his solidarity with Israel, including by attending a Cornell vigil on the anniversary of Oct. 7. He said that the only way forward is to “eliminate Hamas.” He added that because Hezbollah has involved themselves, they also need to be eliminated “so that Lebanon can start anew.”
Webb supports a conflict-free resolution.
“We most certainly have to move toward a peaceful resolution — This war that is happening is leading to the loss of lives,” Webb said.
Rep. Molinaro and Riley
Gun control
Riley supports strengthening background checks to prevent individuals who pose a danger to others from purchasing firearms. Specifically, Riley wants to prevent those convicted of domestic abuse from purchasing guns, as well as keeping “weapons of war” off the streets.
While in Congress, Molinaro voted against a bill prohibiting domestic violence offenders from possessing firearms. Additionally, Molinaro has received endorsements and donations from numerous gun ownership associations, including the National Rifle Association.
Misinformation and Free Speech
Riley believes that it is the government’s role to combat hate speech and prevent disinformation on the internet. “We haven’t updated our fundamental internet regulations since the 1990s,” Riley said in an interview with NPR. “The laws governing the responsibilities of social media companies haven’t kept up.”
On the other hand, Molinaro has voted against government regulation of online speech. While in office, Molinaro voted in favor of H.R. 140, Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act. The bill prevents federal employees from using their authority to promote censorship.
Abortion
Riley said that he is pro-abortion and that overturning Roe v. Wade was “one of the worst decisions the Supreme Court has ever made.”
“I’m the pro-choice candidate in this race. [Molinaro is] the anti-choice candidate in this race,” Riley said. “And our records and positions on this couldn’t be more clear.”
According to Riley, Molinaro has voted to restrict access to abortion services 13 times, a number that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has confirmed.
In recent months leading up to the election, Molinaro has shifted his stance about a woman’s right to choose, stating in an ad that he believes “health decisions should be between a woman and her doctor, not Washington.”
Jack Aherne is a Sun contributor and can be reached at [email protected].