A Republican congressional candidate accused Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan of sending his kids to schools near Washington, DC instead of in the suburban New York district he claims as his primary residence.
GOP candidate Jackie Auringer, who’s running against Ryan for a House of Representatives seat in New York’s Hudson Valley region, is calling for an investigation into whether the Democrat or another household member claimed DC as a residence for tuition-free public school enrollment.
“Pat Ryan has collected more than $60,000 from taxpayers for lodging in Washington while receiving a $12,400 veterans property-tax exemption on his claimed primary residence in New York,” Auringer said.
“At the same time, we now know his family has been using DC schools. The question for DC officials is simple — who claimed DC residency, and were those representations accurate?”
Auringer sent a letter to the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education, which investigates questions of nonresidency in the city’s public schools. Auringer said reviews are mandatory following a report of potential fraud.
Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has previously said whether or not an elected official enrolls children in public schools is an indication of whether he or she is invested in the district.
In 2018, Ocasio-Cortez criticized her primary opponent, then-Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley, for enrolling his kids in Virginia schools near the capital instead of in his Queens-Brooklyn district. Crowley’s family lived in Virginia full time while he maintained a home in the district.
“A Democrat who takes corporate money, profits off foreclosure, doesn’t live here, doesn’t send his kids to our schools, doesn’t drink our water or breathe our air cannot possibly represent us,” the-insurgent Ocasio-Cortez said in a campaign video at the time.
She shocked the political world by toppling Crowley, who was also the Queens Democratic Party chairman, in the that year’s primary election.
The 18th District encompasses parts of Orange, Dutchess and Ulster counties.
The Auringer campaign claims it has evidence that at least one of Ryan’s children attended a DC public school in 2024.
Under DC rules, only one parent with custody needs to be a DC resident for a student to attend as a resident, meaning it could be legal if Ryan’s wife, Rebecca, claimed District of Columbia residency, according to Auringer’s camp.
Nonresident students permitted to attend are required to have a tuition agreement and pay tuition.
DC law also could impose penalties when a person knowingly provides false information to a public official in connection with student residency verification. Those penalties include retroactive tuition and either a fine of up to $2,000 or imprisonment for up to 90 days.
Cases involving knowingly false residency information may also be referred to the DC Office of the Attorney General.
“This is simple: Is Pat Ryan paying his share of school taxes anywhere?” Auringer asked.
“The records exist,” Auringer said. “OSSE should review them, determine what representations were made about residency and whether they were accurate, and take whatever action the facts warrant.”
Ryan refused to answer whether his two sons are enrolled in school in DC or the 18th District.
“For the safety of his family, we do not comment on the location of his four- and seven-year-old children,” a Ryan spokesperson said.
Ryan, a former Ulster County executive and Army veteran, was first elected to Congress in 2022 and is seeking a third-term.
He’s heavily favored to win re-election. The independent Cook Politcal Report rates the district as “solid Democrat.”
Auringer works in her family’s construction business, Urban Precast, where she serves as a project manager and managerial accountant.
Members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms at an annual salary of $174,000.
