Profile of Democrat Representative Ryan from New York District 18

Pat Ryan is the first West Point graduate to represent the U.S. Military Academy in Congress. A decorated combat veteran, he served two tours in Iraq as an Army intelligence officer, earning two Bronze Stars. He represents New York’s 18th District, a stunningly beautiful and politically "purple" slice of the Hudson Valley. The district includes the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the artsy enclaves of Beacon and Kingston, and the commuter suburbs of Orange and Dutchess Counties. Ryan gained national fame in August 2022 when he won a bellwether special election by leaning hard into reproductive rights immediately after the Dobbs decision. His campaign framed abortion access as a fundamental "Freedom"—a messaging strategy that Democrats nationwide adopted for the midterms. Before Congress, he was a tech entrepreneur (co-founding a cyber defense firm) and the Ulster County Executive, where he led the revitalization of the former IBM campus (now iPark 87) and fought for mental health services. In Washington, he sits on the Armed Services and Transportation Committees, focusing on cybersecurity, support for military families, and holding local utility monopolies accountable for billing errors. "He is a combat veteran who views reproductive rights as a mission of patriotism. Pat Ryan is the West Point grad who taught his party how to run on 'Freedom.'" Pat Ryan: The Happy Warrior of the Hudson Valley Representative Pat Ryan’s resume reads like a main character in a political thriller. Born and raised in Kingston, New York, he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point—which is now in his district. After 9/11, he deployed to Iraq for two combat tours as an Army intelligence officer, where his job was to track insurgent networks. Disillusioned by the data failures he saw in the military, he returned home and became a tech entrepreneur, founding a cybersecurity company that employed 150 people. But it was his pivot to local politics that set the stage for his national profile. As the Ulster County Executive, Ryan gained a reputation for hands-on crisis management during the pandemic. He famously turned a massive, abandoned IBM site—a symbol of the region's manufacturing decline—into "iPark 87," a new hub for green tech and film production. In August 2022, Ryan found himself in a special election that the entire country was watching. It was the first competitive race after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. While pundits expected Democrats to talk about the economy, Ryan released a simple, stark ad. It showed him in his Army uniform, looking at the camera, saying: "I fought for freedom abroad, and I won't stand by while it’s stripped away at home." He won the race in an upset, and his "Freedom" framework became the blueprint for the Democratic Party’s midterm strategy. In Congress, Ryan is a pragmatic center-left voice. On the House Armed Services Committee, he leverages his tech background to push for modernization in cyber warfare and AI, arguing that the Pentagon is moving too slowly to counter China. Locally, he has waged a relentless war against Central Hudson, the regional utility company, over billing practices that left his constituents with skyrocketing costs. He is often seen as a bridge-builder: a pro-choice, pro-environment Democrat who can speak the language of military service and national security fluently. District Context: New York 18th (U.S. Census Data) The Hudson Highlands: This district straddles the majestic Hudson River about an hour north of New York City. It covers parts of Orange, Dutchess, and Ulster Counties. Population: ~778,000. The "Commuter Corridor": The district is defined by the Metro-North rail line. Thousands of constituents commute daily to NYC, making infrastructure and train reliability top priorities. Key Landmarks: We...