Dem 47
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GOP 53
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NY-17 Campaign Is in Full Swing Now

It is a bit early for campaigns for House seats to be going full blast this early. but the one for NY-17 is already at full boil. It is a D+1 district currently represented by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY). Democrats smell blood in the Hudson. To make it even more interesting, Lawler is toying with the idea of running for governor, but the possible entrance of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) might block him. Here is the district:

Congressional district map for NY-17

The very affluent (median household income of $119,000), but evenly balanced district was formerly represented by Nita Lowey until she retired in 2020. She was succeeded by Mondaire Jones. To avoid getting into a primary fight with Sean Patrick Maloney, who moved in from NY-17, Jones switched NY-10 in 2022, had a primary fight anyway, and lost the primary to Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY). Maloney got the Democratic nomination in NY-17 but lost the election to Lawler. Many Democrats think they can win it back, especially if Lawler runs for governor. Consequently, the Democratic nomination is a valuable prize (paywall).

Seven Democrats are already formally running and three more are expected to join soon, although the primary is June 23, 2026, more than a year away. Candidates Army veteran and carpetbagger Cait Conley, nonprofit founder Jessica Reinman, and New Castle Deputy Town Supervisor Jeremy Saland took part in a recent forum in Yorktown Heights. The main issue was the high cost of living, a salient issue even in a wealthy district. Other candidates include Peter Chatzky, former mayor of Briarcliff Manor, Beth Davidson, a Rockland County legislator, Effie Phillips-Staley, the daughter of an immigrant from El Salvador and currently a Tarrytown trustee, Mike Sacks, a journalist who has worked for both Fox 5-NY and the Huffington Post and who says he wants to unf*ck our country, and John Sullivan, another carpetbagger and former FBI intelligence analyst. None of these is widely known, so better-known candidates could yet jump in.

The field could be winnowed long before the primary. Phillips-Staley is hoping to mobilize Latino voters, who make up a fifth of the voters. Davidson, who is Jewish, is hoping to recapture the 30,000 orthodox Jews who live in Rockland County. She is also very good at fundraising. The Westchester County Democratic Committee doesn't want this to be the fish that got away. It is likely to put its thumb on the scale sooner or later and support the candidate with the best chance of winning the general election. One local strategist said that the voters want a fighter and winner and they don't care much about platforms, issues, or ideology. That goes double, maybe triple, if Lawler decides to forget the governorship and runs for reelection. (V)



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