Radio Catskill continues its Election 2026 coverage with interviews featuring candidates running in the June 23 primary election.
Evan Menist, a Democratic candidate for New York State Senate District 39, says his campaign is focused on affordability, housing, labor rights and government accountability in the Hudson Valley.
Menist currently serves on the Poughkeepsie Common Council and works as co-executive director of Poughkeepsie Farm Project, a farm-based nonprofit that feeds families, educates youth and trains future farmers.
Menist said his experience in Poughkeepsie has shown him that many of the struggles facing city residents are also being felt across the Hudson Valley.
“People are working harder than ever, and they have nothing to show for it,” Menist said. “It’s not a personal failure, it’s a policy failure.”
Menist said he and his wife both work two jobs and are still living paycheck to paycheck. He said that experience has shaped the way he talks about affordability and the economy.
Menist grew up in a union family. He said both of his parents worked two jobs, and his family lived in a triplex with tenants upstairs so he and his brother could become the first generation in their family to attend four-year colleges.
He said he worked through college and later put himself through graduate school while working full-time. Menist also worked as an urban planner, served in the State Senate as deputy chief of staff and legislative director for a senator from Rockland County, and worked in the Ulster County Executive’s office under Jen Metzger.
Menist described himself as a progressive Democrat and said he wants to build a coalition across race, age and class focused on making life more affordable.
For Menist, the biggest issue facing District 39 is affordability.
“Right now, people just can’t afford to live here no matter how hard they work,” Menist said.
He pointed to housing as one of the top challenges. Menist said rents have risen sharply in Poughkeepsie, while wages have not kept pace. He said the housing crisis is affecting renters, homeowners and families across urban, suburban and rural communities.
Menist also said childcare costs are putting pressure on working families. He said the cost of childcare can be more than in-state SUNY tuition for some families, making it difficult for parents to stay in the workforce and make ends meet.
Utilities are another major issue, Menist said. He criticized Central Hudson and said families across the region are struggling with high utility bills.
Menist said he supports breaking up what he called the Central Hudson monopoly and making utility bills more affordable.
On health care, Menist said he supports the New York Health Act, which would create a single-payer health care system in the state. He said health care should be accessible and affordable for everyone.
Labor rights are also central to his campaign. Menist said unions helped his family access health care, benefits and retirement security. He said he wants to expand union protections to more workers across the Hudson Valley, including warehouse workers and service workers.
Menist said the district includes urban, suburban and rural communities, but he believes residents are facing many of the same economic pressures.
Whether someone is renting in Poughkeepsie or Newburgh, living in a manufactured home community, or owning a home in the suburbs while struggling with property taxes, Menist said the common thread is affordability.
“This campaign for me is about building that multiracial, multigenerational, cross-class movement of people to fight for an economic reality that makes sense,” Menist said.
Asked how Democrats should reach voters who feel disconnected from state government, Menist said lived experience matters. He said many voters feel that government no longer works for them, and he believes Democrats need to offer bigger solutions.
Menist said his view of government was shaped by his grandfather, a World War II veteran, and stories about Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. He said he believes government can still solve big problems when it is focused on service rather than profit.
If elected, Menist said he would focus immediately on housing. He said he supports tenant protections, including the REST Act, which he said would allow municipalities outside New York City to opt into rent stabilization.
He also said the state should help local governments update zoning codes to allow more housing in downtowns and walkable neighborhoods with access to public transportation.
Menist said voters should choose him if they are ready for change and believe the current system needs to be rebuilt.
“I have fought for myself, I have fought for my family, I have fought for my community here in the city of Poughkeepsie for the better part of a decade,” Menist said. “And I am ready to fight to make life better for all of us.”
The Democratic primary election is June 23.