In the 19th, actress fights for independence

ALBANY, N.Y. _ In an old episode of "Law and Order: SVU," Cynthia Nixon starred as a woman with multiple personalities while Diane Neal played her usual role as Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak.

If you watched the show and thought, "Those women will run for office someday," congratulate yourself and buy a lottery ticket. You saw the future.

Nixon, of course, tussled with the governor in the Democratic primary and lost, while Neal is still running to represent New York's 19th Congressional District _ despite bare-knuckled attempts to knock her off the ballot. Neal, you see, is running as an independent against incumbent Republican John Faso and Democrat Antonio Delgado.

An outsider trying to offer voters an alternative?

No, no, no. The powers-that-be can't tolerate it.

Employing an age-old tactic, Democratic operatives and their high-powered attorneys successfully challenged the ballot petitions of the three independent candidates in the race. When Neal fought back, Appellate Division justices unanimously kept her on the November ballot. Democrats are seeking to appeal that ruling.

"They're just trying to waste my time and resources," Neal told me earlier this week. "It's another ploy and one of the many things that's wrong with modern political system."

With control of the House at stake, the Faso vs. Delgado battle is lit by the national spotlight and could go either way. Since they're trying so hard to toss her from the ballot, we can presume Democrats think Neal could get enough votes to cost them the seat.

The effort validates a theme of Neal's candidacy. She (rightly) argues that the major parties manipulate the rules to silence outside voices. Elections are a private club that independent-minded outsiders aren't invited to join.

That's inexcusable everywhere, but it's particularly galling in the 19th, a jumbo-sized district that includes much of Rensselaer County and all of Columbia, Greene, Ulster and Schoharie counties, among others. That's because a plurality of voters there are not registered as Republicans or Democrats.

Arguably, Neal's eclectic mix of positions _ a liberal and libertarian blend _ more closely represents what voters in the district believe than what Delgado or Faso are offering. Nevertheless, Neal is being cast as an interloper who has no business running.

"Even if 100 percent of registered voters showed up and voted for Antonio, he's still not going to win," said Neal, who lives in rural Hurley, near Kingston. "And yet they still feel so entitled."

Neal rejects the simple-minded duality of our politics. She's a gun owner and Second Amendment supporter who wants single-payer health care. She's pro-choice and pro-military. She's thinks climate change and the national debt are the biggest threats to national security.

When we talked about Brett Kavanaugh, Neal again rejected tribalism. She spoke of her own experiences with sexual harassment and her appreciation of the #MeToo movement, but said last week's testimony led her to no firm conclusion.

"It's obvious she's been victimized, and it's obvious he feels hugely under attack," Neal said. "There can be different sides to things and shades of gray. Life is complicated."

Delgado is a Rhodes scholar and lawyer whose previous career at Akin Gump, the politically connected law and lobbying firm, has made him a prolific fundraiser. But it's his brief stint as a rapper that dominates media coverage, largely because of controversial Republican ads criticizing his lyrics.

Neal, 42, considers the attacks beyond the pale _ "a dog whistle" _ but, wearing no partisan lenses, added that Democratic attacks on Faso also misrepresent. (Politifact on Wednesday rated a Delgado ad claiming Faso supported "an age tax" as "mostly false.")

"They are just so willing to lie and smear, and it just produces this really nasty, toxic environment that makes people not want to get involved," Neal said. "Or it makes them rabid and blind to basic facts, and when people are rabid, you can't have a constructive conversation."

In Delgado, Neal sees a candidate out of touch with the district. But Faso, a former state lawmaker turned lobbyist, is cut from much the same cloth, she said. How many lobbyists and lawyers does Congress need?

Fewer, for sure. Yet I'm not sure we're better off with celebrities usurping politics. When Kid Rock runs for president against The Rock, I'm moving to Idaho to raise llamas off the grid.

But celebrity candidates do have advantages when it comes to challenging the establishment. Had Cynthia Nixon not played Miranda Hobbes, she couldn't have made Andrew Cuomo fret. Had Neal not played Casey Novak, you wouldn't be reading about her campaign now.

Noting her struggle to stay on the ballot, Neal said she was fortunate to have the time and money needed to fight back against the usual politics.

"How can anyone who would really serve the district be able to put up a fight against these giant machines?" she asked. "It's not a good thing for our district, and it's not a good thing for the republic and democracy."

Contact columnist Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill(at)timesunion.com