Over 200 political mailers advocating for GOP congressional candidate Alison Esposito were dumped by a creek in New York’s Hudson Valley, and the Republican Party filed a complaint with the U.S. Postal Service alleging election interference.
According to the complaint, a person in Wappingers Falls reported to the New York Republican State Committee that 200 to 250 pieces of political mail were found Wednesday shredded on the side of Brown Road by Sprout Creek.
The mailers were originally sent by the committee.
“So far this is the only batch of mail that has been found, but there could be others,” James Curran, New York’s GOP general counsel, stated in the complaint.
“It’s certainly a case of election interference,” state Republican Party spokesman David Laska told the New York Post on Thursday.
“Someone committed a very serious offense,” he said, adding that the Postal Service must investigate whether the seemingly dirty trick was done by one of its postal workers or contractors.
The Washington Times has contacted the U.S. Postal Service for comment.
Ms. Esposito is challenging Democratic incumbent Rep. Pat Ryan in the Hudson Valley’s 18th Congressional District, a seat considered competitive this election cycle.
New York Republicans flipped a handful of seats in 2022, helping the GOP win the House majority. Democrats are trying to recapture the lower chamber by targeting up to five GOP seats in the Empire State and defending their swing seats.
According to a recent Emerson College poll, Mr. Ryan led Ms. Esposito by 9 points in a survey of 450 likely voters. The poll’s credibility interval was plus or minus 4.6 percentage points.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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