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Van De Water pulls out of race for Congress

MILLBROOK —  In a surprise move, Millbrook Republican Kyle Van De Water has called an end to his second bid for Congress. 

The military veteran and former JAG attorney sent out a press release on Friday, Aug. 27, stating that he has “been truly humbled by and will be forever grateful for all of the support I have received these past few years.” 

This was the second time Van De Water had made a bid for a seat in the House of Representatives; in 2020 he ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado (NY-D-19) of Rhinebeck, then a newcomer to national politics. 

Although Van De Water lost, he had said he felt his first attempt made a good showing, as the final vote tally had Delgado garner 192,200 votes to Van De Water’s 151,475 votes. Considering Delgado outspent him 25 to 1, Van De Water said he believed his chances of a victory a second time around were strong. 

So it was not that much of a surprise to some when the former Millbrook village trustee announced back in July that he would be taking another shot at unseating Delgado from his Congressional seat come 2022.   

The surprise came last week when Van De Water announced he was withdrawing from the race. He explained further why he decided to do so in a prepared statement.

“It has been an honor getting to meet so many of you as I traveled across the district,”  he stated. “Unfortunately, circumstances in my life have changed and I am no longer able to give 110% towards this endeavor. For the good of the party, and the district, I have decided to withdraw my candidacy. I look forward to vigorously and enthusiastically supporting the GOP candidate in 2022.”

When Van De Water announced he planned to challenge Delgado in July, he acknowledged it was without knowing what the congressional districts would look like, as New York lost a district, going from 27 to 26, as a result of the 2020 Census. 

“I do know that I care far too much about this district to sit on the sidelines, no matter the odds,” said Van De Water at the time. “It would be politically expedient to wait and see how the redistricting process shapes the district, but I am not a politician. I am not doing this for myself, I am doing this for the people of NY-19 and perhaps some from NY-18 or NY-20 as well.”   

The 19th Congressional District, as it currently stands, includes most of Dutchess County and parts of Rensselaer, Montgomery and Broome Counties, as well as all of Ulster, Greene, Columbia, Sullivan, Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie Counties. 

Van De Water lives with his wife and children in Millbrook. He served eight years in active duty with the U.S. Army JAG Corps, attaining the rank of major while deployed in Afghanistan. He served another three years in the U.S. Army Reserve. 

In addition to serving on the Millbrook Village Board, he volunteered on the Town of Washington Recreation Commission and on the Millbrook Business Association. 

Judith O'Hara Balfe

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