Army Veteran Cait Conley Wins Democratic Primary To Take on Vulnerable Congressman Mike Lawler

Retired Army lieutenant colonel Cait Conley will face off against Congressman Mike Lawler in November — one of only three Republican congressmen currently serving in districts that were won by Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Ms. Conley, who worked in the Biden administration, is one of Democrats’ most important candidates in this year’s midterm elections. Mr. Lawler was first elected to represent Rockland County and parts of the Hudson Valley in 2022, unseating Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney. In the years since, Mr. Lawler has styled himself as a moderate willing to fight some of his more conservative colleagues. He was instrumental in quadrupling the state and local tax dedication during the drafting process of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Now, despite presenting himself as a moderate and attacking some of his more right-wing colleagues, Mr. Lawler has found himself in the race of his life. Ms. Conley is a formidable candidate seeking to win the light-blue seat in November, with most political forecasters having the district listed as a “tossup.” The Cook Political Report currently predicts that the Democratic nominee will win the seat by about one point in November. Mr. Lawler has aligned himself with the president on nearly every policy, save a few disagreements on discrete issues related to New York State. He and a small band of Republicans from Long Island pushed Speaker Mike Johnson to expand the state and local tax dedication as part of the OBBBA in order to win their votes. Most famously, Mr. Lawler has called out colleagues for their conservative social views. He reprimanded a fellow Republican, Congressman Andy Ogles of Tennessee, who had said that homosexuality had no place in America. Mr. Lawler said in response that Mr. Ogles had “family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and constituents who are gay and lesbian.” “It doesn’t make them less than or somehow unworthy of being an American,” Mr. Lawler said at the time. “What an absolutely idiotic statement to make.”Even though he likely starts off as an underdog in the race, Mr. Lawler has a significant fundraising advantage. According to the most recent FEC filings, Mr. Lawler has raised more than $7.4 million, with about $4.35 million currently in his campaign account. Ms. Conley, meanwhile, has raised just about $3.25 million and has less than $1 million in her warchest.

Army Veteran Cait Conley Wins Democratic Primary To Take on Vulnerable Congressman Mike Lawler

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