Nate McMurray

Press release:

With outrage continuing to grow across the country regarding the treatment of children at the border, it is troubling that Representative Chris Collins remains silent. His opponent for the November 6th election, Nate McMurray, has been outspoken on this issue, demanding a response from Representative Collins for weeks.

McMurray states “On this, and so many issues, Christopher is silent and out of sight. To not have an opinion on a matter of such national debate, when even the First Lady has spoken, is negligent.”

McMurray continued, “This is also a local issue. Whether we care to admit it or not, local farms have used foreign works for years. Christopher has been in office during a period of population collapse in NY27. To help out local agricultural businesses he should have been in the forefront of immigration reform, not waiting for someone else to lead. Instead, he’s done what he always does -- blame the other side and scapegoat the weakest among us.”

McMurray pledges to protect our borders as a U.S. Representative but says he will do it with dignity and goodness.

“I’ll do it in a way that makes us safe, but keeps us proud.”

NOTE: Yesterday, The Batavian published Collins visits Stein Farms to talk about what he's doing for the dairy industry, which discusses, among other things, the congressman's efforts to support immigration reform.

Local dairy farmer Dale Stein said, "What he has done has forced votes on immigration. He's working with other Republicans and working bipartisan with Democrats. Now he's forced votes on immigration so that we can maybe get immigration settled and fix for farmers and everybody else. It's been left in limbo for too long. Congressman Collins, working with others, including the Democrats, is pushing to get this settled. I support him 100 percent on that."

Press release:

In the wake of the trade tariffs instituted by the Trump administration, Nate McMurray is touring businesses across Western New York, talking to business owners to understand how the changing economic climate is affecting them.

McMurray met with the owners of Catalpa Farms today in Canandaigua who grow soy, which they primarily export to China.

The price of soy has tumbled from a high of $10.70 at the start of this year's growing season to $9.60 today as a result of the 25 percent tariff instituted on soybean imports, in reaction to Trump's tariffs.

The farmers said that the price drop is "killing them" and that there is a likelihood that China will begin to import soy from Argentina due to the uncompetitive price of our export. This is unacceptable.

There are no other words for the tariffs except economic warfare. McMurray believes that this is posturing at the expense of the American people.

The administration's careless trade war endangers the welfare of the American people and of the people of New York's 27th district, whose livelihoods are among the industries affected.

Trump's increasingly combative rhetoric with Canada, one of our closest allies, as well as his erratic behavior at the G7 summit casts into doubt the administration's commitment to the economic well-being of our citizens.

"Our region is interdependent on Canada," McMurray said of New York's 27th Congressional District, "turning our backs on our Canadian neighbors is unthinkable.

"Even just the petty words coming out of the White House are enough to seriously threaten jobs and incomes here at home. Actions have consequences. It's not fair to our working men and women and it has to stop."

Press release:

Yesterday, the House passed a plan to roll back some banking regulations instituted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, aimed at curtailing many of the institutional behaviors that led to one of the deepest recessions in the history of our country.

House Republicans have called it the "most pro-growth banking bill in a generation," but isn't this exactly the spirit of deregulation that led to the financial crisis in the first place? Senator Sherrod Brown said, "Ten years ago, Wall Street almost destroyed our economy." Nate McMurray agrees.

Upstate New York was devastated by the crisis. An uncountable number of small businesses were shuttered, factories closed, jobs lost, and the people of Western New York forced to make hard decisions that no American should be forced to make. Our citizens should not have to choose between whether to go to the doctor or to pay rent just because an investment firm wants to speculate with their money.

Nate McMurray opposes exempting any banks from the Volcker rule. According to the FDIC, American banks just had their most profitable quarter ever and yet American workers haven't had a real wage increase in the last 30 years. The myth that banks can't thrive under the current regulatory climate is false.

"Banks have a responsibility to their customers, and to the communities that they serve, to be custodians. Banks should serve Main Street not Wall Street," McMurray said.

"This goes to show that establishment politicians, like Chris Collins, care more about enriching their donors and wealthy backers than they do about the financial security of working-class Americans."

Press release:

Last week, Chris Collins took the long-overdue step of resigning from the board of Innate Immunotherapeutics, a medical biotechnology company in which he holds significant interests. It is too little, too late.

As a House member, he has repeatedly voted for legislation that would benefit the company, drafting or sponsoring no less than four bills over the last five years that would add to the company's bottom line. As an elected official, his job is to represent the interests of his constituents, not the interests of corporate shareholders.

However, there is evidence that his resignation does not come from a change of heart but from corporate restructuring. Despite the Office of Congressional Ethics stating last October that there was "substantial reason to believe" that Rep. Collins violated Federal laws on insider trading, corporate documents imply that Collins is resigning due to the company's sale to Amplia Therapeutics.

"We have to spread public awareness. Holding our elected officials accountable is the cornerstone of democracy," Nate McMurray said.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, among others, has called for Collins to recuse himself from any legislation affecting pharmaceutical companies. This is the only correct course of action.

My opponent's many entanglements mean that he cannot have the interests of his constituents at heart while working to boost company profits. Nobody can serve two masters.

The people of Western New York deserve better. We are dealing with a healthcare crisis on multiple fronts, from the opioid epidemic to funding rural hospitals. Rep. Collins has shown, time and time again, that he is willing to vote for his bank account not for the people he serves.

"If the public better understood what Chris Collins has done, there wouldn't even be a race," McMurray said. "The problem is when you have so much money, you think you're untouchable. You think you can put a sign in every yard and call it a day."

Press release:

Today, Governor Cuomo told a gathered crowd that Kathy Hochul would give Democrats the best chance to take away the 27th Congressional District from Chris Collins. He referenced Nancy Pelosi, implying that she expressed a similar sentiment.

Democratic Congressional Candidate Nate McMurray is disappointed by the statement.

“Clearly I'm not part of the Washington/Albany insider game. But you know what? I want no part of that mess. This is a new era. It’s an era where the people again decide what’s best, not a group of political elites."

McMurray continued, "The Governor is not out there with me in the 27th District. He does not see the energy and enthusiasm we see, not from big donors but from regular people.”

“I respect the Governor," McMurray said. "I think he has done a lot of important things. If the Governor is reelected, I look forward to working with him.

"And if Kathy Hochul wins her reelection bid for Lieutenant Governor, I especially look forward to working with her. I’m proud of her representation of our region. I wish the Governor would join me on a trip to Batavia or Warsaw or Lockport and see the support we're feeling in those rooms.

“Sooner or later Albany and D.C. will realize, ‘Don’t underestimate Nate.’ I’m no pawn on a board. No one owns me. No one owns the people of NY 27.”

Press release:

This week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, appeared before Congress where lawmakers took turns asking how (and if) Facebook respects our privacy. One Congressman, however, seemed less concerned about privacy and more concerned about using his seat to make another rich friend.

Chris Collins said, after hearing his fellow members of Congress interrogate Zuckerberg, "I sincerely know in my heart that you do believe in keeping all ideas equal. You may vote a certain way or not, but that doesn't matter."

Reacting to that response, Collin’s Congressional opponent Nate McMurray says, “In his heart? His heart? No one cares about his heart. We care about what’s in his servers. That company collects and searches every little detail of our lives. And we know that this data has been used for malicious purposes.”

McMurray further adds, “I’ve been to Facebook's headquarters. It’s an amazing company, with great power. And that's the point. We need to understand how that power is used and whether it is being manipulated. Collins, once again, failed to do his job. Indeed, it seems Collins was more worried about control and manipulation than about Facebook's actions."

Press release:

Saturday night, Congressman Chris Collins again attacked the student-led forum held in Buffalo, which was organized by students across his district. And once again, he did it behind closed doors in an environment that he could control.

In an interview posted in its entirety on wgrz.com, Collins swings wildly with his attacks and unfounded allegations. Previously he said the event would be a “circus.” But when confronted about it being respectfully held in a church, he scoffed, literally laughing and going back to labeling all those involved, calling it a “partisan, liberal event.”

When told by the reporter from the news station that she witnessed and collected unsolicited questions from all those in attendance, Collins refused to acknowledge it and insisted that the event was an “a joke.”

In the interview, Collins also claims that panel participant and his Congressional race opponent Nate McMurray was “handpicked” by Brian Higgins to participate.

McMurray responds, "Higgins had nothing to do with me being there, and in fact was probably not happy the students invited me. Collins is clinging to that empty take like a man clinging to (a) life preserver. As you can see in his interview, he’s worried. He wants to create as much confusion, so he never has to face me directly."

Collins also claims that McMurray had as much a right to be there as an Uber driver.

McMurray responded, “Honestly, I should just laugh it off, but it’s such an elitist thing to say. I hope there were some Uber drivers there. I met some teachers, law enforcement folks, and others. I’m guessing we had a few Uber drivers, too. It was packed!”

As to Collins claims that it was partisan, McMurray replies, “I volunteered not to go, if he decided to go. I would have been much happier if he, as our elected official had taken the stage. I could have done what he did and sit home and watch the tape, because he obviously studied every second of it.

"But he, like every other member of his party who refused to attend, and there were multiple invitations sent out to multiple elected officials, decided to make it a partisan event.”

McMurray says he will now do what Collins would not.

“I am going to reach out to pro-Second Amendment groups. And I will reach out to the student groups once again to see if they also want to participate. But I want to speak before groups that may not agree with me, that may even boo me. There will be another forum.

"That’s how we solve things in America. We don’t retreat to our partisan camps. We don’t attack behind the closed doors of television studios. We meet in the public square, the town hall.”

It has been a whirlwind week for NY-27 Congressional candidate Nate McMurray. On Sunday, the Grand Island Town Supervisor announced his candidacy to a standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 at the Brickyard Brewing Company in Lewiston. Voters from throughout the District came to support Nate’s effort to unseat ethics-challenged incumbent, Chris Collins.

Supporters, including City of Tonawanda Mayor Rick Davis, are confident that a Congressmember McMurray will remain connected to the people he serves.

“Nate will bring the perspective of the average American to his representation of the 27th District," Davis said. "Far too often people elected to Congress are well off financially and they do not think of the many struggling households we have in our area. Nate will be the voice those families need in Congress.”

After his announcement, Candidate McMurray wasted no time introducing himself to voters from Canandaigua to Batavia to Wheatfield. On Tuesday night he stood out among the five congressional hopefuls at the Turn NY 27 Blue Candidates Forum in Lancaster.

Dorothy Avery, a voter from the Town of Bergen, was “impressed with Nate’s creativity and strong ethical values. I’m confident he will represent all of NY27’s voters without regard for party affiliation or tax bracket.”

Who is Nate McMurray?

Nate is one of seven children raised in the District by his widowed mother in conditions of extreme poverty. His mother laid a good ethical foundation in her home, but was stretched to the limit by the demands of putting food on the family’s table and caring for her children.

With the help of New York’s public education system and public scholarship programs, Nate become a Fulbright Scholar, received advanced degrees including a law degree, and became fluent in Korean and Chinese. He spent time overseas and has had a successful business career. He missed Western New York so he returned home.

He is married and the proud father of two boys, and in addition to being Grand Island supervisor, he is vice president for Development for Delaware North.

Nate’s family instilled strong community service values. He was first called to run for elected office when he witnessed dismissive behavior on the part of government officials at a board hearing. Nate fought for the side of right and he was elected Grand Island town supervisor by only two votes!

In so doing McMurray became the only Democrat to be elected to office on the deeply Republican island in recent memory. He achieved this benchmark by reaching out to Republicans and treating all people, regardless of party affiliation or economic stature, with dignity and respect. His heartfelt capacity to connect with voters, and his ability to get the job done, will be a welcome change from the scandal-plagued and elitist tenure of Congressmember Collins.

James Sharpe, Grand Island Democratic party chair and town deputy supervisor, has worked with McMurray for years.

“Nathan is one of the most creative people I know," Sharpe said. "He is focused and energized and keeps the needs of his constituents front and center. He solves problems that confound others.

"He has a knack for identifying the issues and getting the job done. New York State’s agreement to remove toll barriers and give Grand Island cashless tolls is only one example.”

McMurray will provide true representation to the people of NY-27. He will work to make sure that all children have the advantages that were provided to him when he grew up in the District.