Q&A With Lisa LaBue, Republican Candidate for New York’s 100th Assembly District

Lisa LaBue (Courtesy of Lisa LaBue)

Lisa LaBue, a former small business owner and banking professional, is running in the 100^th assembly district, which covers most of Sullivan County and part of Orange County, including Middletown and Wallkill.

The Republican candidate will face Democratic incumbent Aileen Gunther in the Nov. 8 general election.

LaBue spoke with The Epoch Times on Oct. 31. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

The Epoch Times: Why did you decide to run for the state assembly?

LaBue: During the pandemic, I was working at a bank and doing PPP loans for small businesses and saw how they were overlooked. We had mandates that made no sense to me. It just started building a fire inside me.

I’m a single mom, I brought up two boys. I struggled. I know what it’s like to be afraid to open a bill because you wonder how you are going to pay it. If we’re already choosing between buying groceries and putting gas in our car to get to work, what are we supposed to do when the prices go up even more?

We have a Democratic majority in our federal government, and we have a Democrat supermajority in our New York State government. They’ve put us in a scary position.

I was looking for a strong voice, for someone to speak up, but no one was doing it. I thought about leaving New York but gave up because I didn’t want to live far from my son and his family.

That’s when I decided to get involved. I said I needed to do everything I can possibly do to make this state make sense again.

Some people suggested that I start at a local level.  And I said, “How am I going to make a difference in these unconstitutional laws that are coming down and being put upon us right now at the local level?”

The one good thing about the pandemic and the shutdown is that some people, like me, had time to think and put things into perspective. I said this didn’t add up, and it needed to stop.

The Epoch Times: What are the top issues you want to focus on?

LaBue: I'd like to focus on the budget. I think the state has a lot of misspending or unaccounted spending. If we get hold of the budget, look at where the money is going, and control the spending, we will be able to find savings.

The other concern I have is with seniors. Their cost of living is going up, but their income remains fixed. There is not much consideration given to them, yet we are giving away so much money to people that come here illegally.

My grandparents came from Italy, and I am not against immigration. But I think that people should come to this country legally, and we shouldn’t reward people for doing the wrong thing.

The money we are giving to illegals should be focused on our veterans and our seniors.

I am also concerned with our Second Amendment rights. I understand why our Second Amendment was put in place; it wasn’t just for carrying a weapon or a firearm. The Second Amendment right guarantees us all the other rights that are given to us.