Democrat Challenges Lawler in Key Hudson Valley House Race
Combat veteran Cait Conley is taking on two-term Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in a diverse, closely watched swing district north of New York City.
In New York's 17th Congressional District, one of the most competitive House seats near Manhattan, Democrats are hoping frustration over high prices and foreign policy issues like the war in Iran can help them flip a seat Republicans have held for two terms.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who first won the district in 2022, faces a challenge this fall from Cait Conley, a combat veteran and former military police officer who won the Democratic primary in June.
"Mike Lawler votes one way. Donald Trump's way," Conley told supporters at a recent campaign event in Westchester County. "I firmly believe that we deserve better."
The district, which includes Rockland and Putnam counties, is home to large numbers of law enforcement officers who work in New York City, along with one of the country's largest Jewish populations and communities with significant Haitian American and Hispanic populations. Lawler has courted law enforcement support, appearing last Monday in Haverstraw with multiple police organizations that endorsed his reelection.
"I know what it means to live in a community where police are part of the neighborhood," Lawler said.
Lawler has hosted several Trump administration officials in the district recently, including President Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He has said he disagrees with ending temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants but supports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying New York should "choose safety over sanctuary."
Conley, asked whether she supports abolishing ICE, said the agency "needs to be reined in and reformed" and should focus on "violent criminals and not nurses and grandmas."
Conley has also called for congressional term limits of 12 years and an 18-year limit for Supreme Court justices.
The district spans wealthy towns like Chappaqua and Pound Ridge as well as working-class communities such as Peekskill and Haverstraw, where residents told ABC News grocery prices remain a top concern. Conley and Lawler are scheduled to hold their first debate at the end of September.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
