House candidate Cait Conley has picked up the support of a third Democratic county leader in New York’s 17th District as a June 23 primary nears to nominate a challenger for Republican Rep. Mike Lawler.
Westchester County Democratic Chairwoman Suzanne Berger endorsed Conley in an op-ed column in The Journal News/lohud on Thursday, May 28, praising Conley’s credentials and calling her the party’s best prospect to flip a critical congressional seat and help wrest control of the House from Republicans.
“I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Cait over the past 16 months and have watched her in a variety of settings and in multiple candidate forums,” Berger wrote. “At age 41, she can be our future.”
What Westchester Dem chair says about Conley
Conley, a combat veteran and former national security official in the Biden administration, is one of five Democrats vying to take on Lawler in a marathon primary campaign that started more than a year ago and is now in its final weeks. She previously had been endorsed by the Democratic leaders of Putnam and Dutchess counties. Rockland County’s Democratic chairman is backing Beth Davidson, a Rockland legislator.
Berger, in her Conley endorsement, lauded Conley’s work in the Biden administration, her 16-year Army career and “super-impressive” education at West Point, Harvard and M.I.T. Conley served in the administration for four years, first as director of counterterrorism for the National Security Council and then as senior executive at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, where she oversaw election security in 2024.
“It’s her actual real-world experience in Washington during the Biden Administration that uniquely prepares her for Congress in this dangerous time,” Berger wrote.
Davidson adds endorsements in NY-17 primary race
Davidson picked up endorsements on Tuesday, May 26, from two former rivals who have exited the 17th District race, which had eight Democrats running at its peak. Peter Chatzky and John Sullivan, each of whom shared the stage at candidate events with Davidson, both called her the strongest Democrat in the field to take on Lawler, a second-term Republican from Rockland.
“She’s determined, committed and resilient, and she has proven she can build consensus to deliver real results,” Chatzky said in an announcement from Davidson’s campaign. “You don’t have to guess how Beth would perform in office — she’s already been stellar for years.”
Sullivan said: “She is sharp, battle-tested, and ready to take on this fight, and I’m proud to throw my full support behind her.”
What to know about NY-17 congressional race
The other contenders are Tarrytown trustee Effie Phillips-Staley, former journalist Mike Sacks and Air Force veteran John Cappello. The Hudson Valley seat they’re seeking is one of 18 around the U.S. that are viewed as highly competitive “toss-up” races in the battle for House control in November’s midterm elections.
The 17th District takes in all of Rockland and Putnam counties, the northern half of Westchester County and three Dutchess County towns. Voting for the Democratic primary is set to start in a little over two weeks on June 13, when eight days of early voting begin before the June 23 election.
Phillips-Staley has waged a progressive campaign and won endorsements from the Working Families Party and other left-leaning groups and political figures, including Our Revolution, former Rep. Jamaal Bowman and California Rep. Ro Khanna.
Davidson and Conley both tout long lists of endorsements. Democratic parties or their executive committees in three counties each anointed their preferred candidates, with Putnam and Dutchess backing Conley and Rockland endorsing Davidson. Westchester Democrats made no endorsement after both Davidson and Conley won committee votes but neither got 50% with some members abstaining.
Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA TODAY Network. Reach him at CMcKenna@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Westchester Dem leader endorses Cait Conley in primary for Lawler seat
Reporting by Chris McKenna, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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