NY-17: If Democrats Want to Win the House, Their Battle May Start Here

Walking along Main Street in Nyack, N.Y., Beth Davidson seemed to have the political patois of the local candidate down pat.

She talked of rising gas prices and her time on the school board. She greeted supporters by name. There was Mersina, the owner of a local diner; Jeff, who runs the music shop; two of her son’s high school classmates; and the village mayor.

But the homespun quality of Ms. Davidson’s campaign for Congress belied the importance of this high-profile race in New York’s Hudson Valley, as well as its increasing vitriol.

Ms. Davidson is facing Cait Conley, a national security expert and combat veteran, and two others in the June 23 primary that will determine who takes on Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican, in November. Democrats outnumber Republicans in this swing district, making Mr. Lawler among the most vulnerable of House Republicans.




https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/nyregion/democratic-primary-ny17-hudson-valley.html