PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – Election Day is a week away and voters in New York’s 21st Congressional District are deciding who will represent them in Washington for another two years. Incumbent Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y, one of the top-ranking Republicans in the House faces Democrat Paula Collins, a cannabis tax attorney who lives in De Kalb Junction.
“The assault rifle does not need to be held by somebody who has children at home, does not need to be in the possession of someone who has a mental health question,” Collins said.
Stefanik says Congress should take a different approach to banning certain guns. “What I have done is, I have supported school resource officers and increased mental health funding. School resource officers are programs that have been supported by county sheriffs. And what I have done at the federal level is make federal dollars available,” she said.
On the issue of health care, Collins says lawmakers should expand Medicare to all people while also keeping private insurance. “If they lost that job or if the company restructured and was no longer able to continue that policy, that there would be an underlying health care system available,” she said.
Stefanik, however, says she would continue to work on increasing health care access. “I have been a proponent of delivering results to our seniors in the form of Social Security benefits, millions of dollars of Medicare benefits for our seniors. In addition, I have promoted telehealth when available and part of that is rural broadband as well,” she said.
On the northern border, where apprehensions by the Border Patrol have soared over the last year, Stefanik says she supports legislation to boost the number of border agents. “What we need to do is elect President Trump, who will end catch and release, who will restore ‘Remain in Mexico’ and will continue to invest in Border Patrol and the construction of the border wall on our southern border. My priority is making sure the northern border has the resources we need. We voted for the Secure the Border Act in Congress — every Democrat opposed it. I was proud to vote in support of that. That would provide the personnel we need on the northern border,” Stefanik said.
Collins agrees more funding is needed but also points to finding a bipartisan border bill as a solution. “We had a bipartisan bill that was very strong on enforcement, very strong on providing more judges at the border to process asylum seekers or other kinds of border crossers and also making sure there was a pathway for somebody to cross and within a certain amount of time to get employment, a temporary work visa,” she said.
Both candidates have sharply criticized each other during the campaign. Stefanik has knocked Collins for allegedly misusing campaign funds to pay for rent, which Collins says she has fixed. “Basically, just putting the place where I happen to sleep right now — in De Kalb Junction — which is also a campaign headquarters, put that one credit card and assign the others to another credit card,” Collins said.
Collins has taken aim against Stefanik’s voting record in opposing the Infrastructure Jobs Act, the PACT Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
“I have delivered over $800 million to this district in the forms of grants, in the forms of constituent case work. Whether that is for sewers and waterways through the Northern Border Regional Commission or the workforce development programs that I am proud to have delivered,” Stefanik said.
Both candidates say they will accept the results of their election.