Meet the Democrats hoping to replace Claudia Tenney in NY-24
Kastenbaum is campaigning on health care and housing costs and says she is reaching out to moderate Republicans.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYNCPR is a regional public-radio newsroom, a source type generally associated with editorial oversight and local reporting. The article attributes campaign claims to the candidates and supplies some electoral context, though the page provides limited information about the author.
- Source type — Regional public-radio outlet with a local-news focus.
- Editorial standards — The report is written in a straightforward news format and attributes claims to their speakers.
- Transparency — The article identifies its publisher and includes relevant district and race context, but author information is unclear.
The story includes direct candidate quotations and attributed campaign positions, along with district context and a cited race rating. It is useful as a primary-season introduction, but it gives little space to the incumbent or to opposing perspectives on the candidates’ claims.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article offers substantial space to both Democratic candidates and gives basic context about Tenney and the district’s political outlook. It does not include the incumbent’s response or a Republican perspective, limiting balance across the broader race.
- Source diversity — Both Democratic candidates are quoted, but no Republican or incumbent is interviewed.
- Counterarguments presented — The piece notes the district’s Republican rating and Tenney’s prior margin but does not present a counterview from her campaign.
- Loaded language — The report generally avoids loaded language and attributes critical claims.
The article uses mostly neutral language and presents the Democratic candidates’ statements as attributed claims. Its focus on the two challengers means the incumbent’s perspective is not developed, but the framing does not clearly favor a political side.
- Language tone — Mostly descriptive and non-editorial language.
- Source selection — The candidates are interviewed, while the incumbent is not quoted.
- Framing — The piece is framed as an introduction to the Democratic primary candidates.
Democrats Diana Kastenbaum and Alissa Ellman are competing in the June 23 primary to challenge Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney in New York’s 24th District. Both emphasize affordability, while outlining different campaign strategies and policy priorities.
Alissa Ellman, an Army combat veteran and cancer survivor, said losing her job at the Buffalo VA amid cuts by the Trump administration helped motivate her to run. She discussed lower electric rates and extending public school education to age two. Diana Kastenbaum, a former manufacturing-company CEO, said her campaign grew from opposition to Trump administration actions and emphasized health care, housing costs, and a single-payer system.
The candidates described different approaches to the general election: Kastenbaum said she is reaching out to moderate Republicans, including farmers affected by administration policies, while Ellman plans to target independent voters. The article notes that the district is rated solid Republican by the Cook Political Report and that Tenney won it by more than 30 points in 2024. Both candidates said they would support the Democratic primary winner; voting ends Sunday and the primary is Tuesday, June 23.
Community verdict
VOTING CLOSEDNo good or bad look here
This story reports what happened without casting Kastenbaum in a good or bad light, so readers don’t rate it and it doesn’t count toward Kastenbaum’s record.
People in this story
SWIPE →Democratic House candidate in New York’s 24th District
Ellman's version of this story ↗President of the United States
Republican incumbent whose seat the Democratic candidates seek
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