Congressional hopefuls Kathleen C. Hochul and Jane L. Corwin marked Tuesday with their sharpest exchanges to date in a pair of dueling press releases centered around -- of all things -- equal pay for women.
It began early Tuesday when Hochul (joined in a separate release by Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand), noted the 15th anniversay of "Equal Pay Day," which began in 1996 as a way to illustrate the wage gap between men and women.
Hochul, the Democratic candidate for New York’s 26th Congressional District, said she will make equal pay a top priority.
“When I first began my career as the only new female associate at a law firm, I was very much aware of the challenges women face in the workplace,” she said. “And as the mother of a young woman soon heading out into the workforce, I, like many fathers and mothers, hope their daughters' gender will not deny them equal pay for equal work.”
She said Corwin, her Republican opponent, voted against equal pay for women in New York State as a member of the Assembly.
“My Republican opponent thinks she, myself, and all other women deserve to take a back seat to men when it comes to salary. I do not,” Hochul added. “Once in Congress, I will fight to ensure women are paid equal wages for the same work they do as men.”
It didn't take long for Corwin spokesman Matthew Harakal to fire off a reply.
"It's not surprising that career politician Kathy Hochul thinks bureaucrats are in a better position than small businesses to decide how much their workers should get paid," he said. "Jane Corwin believes that small businesses know best how to run their companies, not government bureaucrats."
--Robert J. McCarthy
