Molinaro and Riley debate in the NewsChannel 13 studio

The candidates for the 19th Congressional District debated Thursday evening at the NewsChannel 13 studio in Menands.

The two candidates in one of the most contentious debates in the country.

Republican incumbent Marc Molinaro and Democratic challenger Josh Riley fought for an hour without commercial breaks.

The candidates went head-to-head on issues such as immigration, the economy and abortion.

Watch the debate in full here:

NewsChannel 13’s Mark Mulholland moderated the lively debate, which was co-sponsored by several of the Capital Region’s leading media outlets.

Three panelists joined Mark, Ian Pickus, news director at WAMC, Shantel Destra, managing editor of WMHT’s New York Now, and Raga Justin, investigative reporter at the Times Union.

The race is a rematch from 2022, which Molinaro narrowly won by less than 2%.

The district stretches from the Massachusetts border across the Catskills and along the Southern Tier to Ithaca.