Former MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan is preparing to formally announce a bid for Congress in New York.
Ratigan—a political commentator for The Young Turks and co-founder and owner of Helica Holdings, a sustainability company—will make an announcement about a possible run in Saranac Lake, New York on Wednesday afternoon.
He already set up a donation page titled, “Donate to Dylan Ratigan for Congress,” where he is seeking anywhere from $5 to $2,700 in contributions.
The seat is currently held by Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican in upstate New York, who was first elected in 2014. She was 30 years old at the time, making her the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
Ratigan views student debt reform, veteran employment, food and
The former host was born and raised in Saranac Lake, where his grandfather was mayor.
He worked at Bloomberg from 1997 to 2003, where he served as a mergers and acquisitions reporter, creator and host of Bloomberg Television programs and global managing editor for corporate finance, according to his LinkedIn page.
In 2003, he joined CNBC where he co-hosted The Closing Bell and created and hosted Fast Money and worked at MSNBC from 2009 to 2012. And in 2014, Ratigan shot a pilot for a panel-style show on CNN, but the show did not get the green light.
Despite not having formally announced his bid, he is already responding to reactions to his candidacy.
Other Democrats vying for Stefanik’s seat are small business owner and former union organizer Tanya Boone; Don Boyajian, a municipal and environmental attorney; Tedra Cobb, a retired educator; and Greenwich Town Supervisor Sara Idleman, according to the Watertown Daily Times.
Ronald Kim, lawyer and former Saratoga Springs public safety commissioner; economic development expert Emily Martz; Patrick Nelson, who served as special projects coordinator with Assemblyman Phil Steck; and entrepreneur Katie Wilson are also running.
On the Republican side, Stefanik faces Russell Finley, a real estate broker and cattle farmer.
