NY-17: The Democrats vying to challenge Rep. Mike Lawler
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler is well aware that he has a fight on his hands to stay in office as Democrats in New York and around the country have placed a bull’s-eye on the 17th Congressional District. There’s more than a year to go before voters decide if he’ll get a third term, but Democratic candidates are already staking their claim as the best option to challenge him in a general election. At the time of writing, eight candidates have already announced that they plan to run for the seat – and that number could grow.
The 17th Congressional District includes Rockland, Putnam and parts of Westchester and Dutchess counties. Despite Lawler’s success, Democrats actually have a voter registration advantage in the district, and the district backed Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. The district includes many towns that serve as bedroom communities for those who work in New York City, as well as a large concentration of Orthodox Jewish communities. The high cost of living that many district residents face has raised the political significance of the state and local tax deduction cap, which Lawler successfully fought to raise.
The last Democrat to represent the district was former Rep. Mondaire Jones, but due to redistricting, Lawler defeated former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Sean Patrick Maloney in 2022 after Maloney had moved over to this race after representing the 18th District. Jones tried to run in the 10th District in New York City in 2022 but lost in the primary before losing in this district last year to Lawler. It had been reported in July that Maloney was considering another run for this seat, but Westchester County Democratic Party Chair Suzanne Berger shot down those rumors.
When Lawler won reelection comfortably last year, it was something of an outlier, as Democrats flipped three House seats in New York that cycle. Affordability concerns that helped get President Donald Trump elected seemingly did the same for Lawler. He also maintained his strong support in the Jewish community amid their concerns about rising antisemitism.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/10/democrats-vying-challenge-rep-mike-lawler/408616/?oref=csny-category-lander-featured-river