Harrison Businessman Seeks GOP Nod For 17th Congressional Race

HARRISON, NY — Republican Josh Eisen, who is seeking GOP backing in Rockland and Westchester counties to run for the 17th Congressional District seat from which Nita Lowey is retiring, could be called a Main Street rather than Wall Street Republican.

A businessman with companies that offer background checks and language services, he plans not only to release his tax returns but also how much money his employees make. No one is making less than $50,000, because he said he considers it a moral imperative for people who run companies to make sure the people who work for them make decent wages. In fact, he considers it a measure of his success.

"If the lowest guy on the totem pole makes $80,000, I'm not doing badly," the Harrison resident told Patch.

Asked about the role of a Republican in increasingly Democratic Westchester and Rockland counties, he said it is what any elected official's should be — to represent the people of the district, not act on behalf of a political party decree.

"The Republican Party is the party of faith, people who go to church or synagogue and tithe," he said, people who are concerned about the degree to which the government legislates morality.

He said he offers voters an alternative to Lowey, who he thinks has gotten out of touch with her constituents. For example, Eisen disagrees with Lowey's endorsement of New York's Reproductive Health Act.

"People here don't want single-payer health care. They are against abortion in the ninth month of pregnancy," he said. "I think the Democratic Party is out of step."

Eisen said he wanted a modern federal background check system for gun ownership with a 3-hour turnaround. As a descendant of Holocaust survivors, he believes that the government should never be able to disarm its citizens, and would encourage gun ownership by trusted community leaders, such as former soldiers, police officers and other respected community members.

He said if elected he would propose a bill to declare the Central American migrant situation as an international refugee crisis, so the entire world community should be called upon to assist, as with the African migration across the Mediterranean Sea. He said he supports the Bush Administration’s path to legalization for the 12 million undocumented people in the U.S., with visa classifications for professionals working in fields of national necessity.

And while issues such as abortion and bail reform are state issues, he said, they're clearly issues the state's Congressional delegation weighs in on — and they also provide information about the political complexions of the state legislators who are running for Lowey's seat.

The Democratic field is already crowded, with 12 candidates vying for that line on the ballot, according to Ballotpedia.

Eisen said his reaction to the impeachment of President Donald Trump is just as it was to Clinton's impeachment — sadness over the partisan politics. "I don't think the forefathers had this in mind," he said. Asked if he would seek the president's endorsement, he said yes but it's far too early to discuss it. "Right now let's focus on local Republicans."

The 17th Congressional District includes all of Rockland County and much of Westchester County, including Peekskill, Yorktown, Ossining, New Castle, Mount Pleasant, Tarrytown, White Plains and Harrison.

Learn more about Eisen at his website, on Facebook or on Instagram and follow him on Twitter.