Contact: Aly Ferguson
aly@newpolitics.org; 480-363-6465
Army special operations veteran and former White House counterterrorism director Cait Conley wins the NY-17 Democratic primary, setting up a November matchup against Rep. Mike Lawler in one of the most competitive districts in the country
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 23, 2026) — New Politics endorsed candidate Cait Conley has won the Democratic nomination for New York's 17th Congressional District. The Army special operations veteran and former White House counterterrorism director overcame a crowded primary field and attacks from GOP dark money groups to set up a competitive race against vulnerable Republican Rep. Mike Lawler. As one of only three GOP-held districts that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, NY-17 is one of the top House pickup opportunities for Democrats this fall. Even Mike Lawler agrees that Cait Conley is the best positioned to defeat him and flip this district blue.
Emily Cherniack, Founder and Executive Director of New Politics, released the following statement:
“Cait Conley has spent her whole career answering the call to serve. She deployed overseas six times with special operations and later served as the Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council. Time and time again, Cait showed up when the stakes were high, putting the country before herself. NY-17 primary voters chose a leader who's ready for this fight. New Politics was proud to stand with Cait in her primary campaign and is committed to supporting her through November and beyond as she works to bring real leadership back to New York’s 17th District.”
New Politics is an organization that revitalizes American democracy by recruiting, developing, and electing leaders across the ideological and political spectrum who have committed their lives to serving their communities and our country, either through military service, national service organizations like AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps, or by demonstrating strong service-based leadership in their community. New Politics’ support includes strategic advising and training in all aspects of a candidate’s campaign, such as fundraising, communications, organizing, hiring, and team building. New Politics has raised over $40 million to support over 475 candidates, successfully electing more than 200 of them to office, from Congress to School Board. Learn more at newpolitics.org.
