District: NY-17
Cook Political Ranking: Toss Up
Performance Voter Index: D+1
Cait Conley is running for Congress in New York’s 17th congressional district. Conley is a fourth-generation Hudson Valley native from working-class roots. After 9/11, she applied to the United States Military Academy at West Point. After attending West Point, she served for 16 years as an active-duty Army officer, starting her career as a military police officer and then serving in special ops leadership, deploying overseas six times to combat zones including Iraq and Afghanistan.

New York’s 17th Congressional District encompasses a majority of the Hudson Valley, including Rockland County, Peekskill, and Cold Spring. Ahead of the 2022 race, this district changed under the redistricting process. Under the old district lines, in 2020, President Biden won the district by over 10 points; however, after redistricting, VP Kamala Harris barely won this district in 2024 by less than a point under the new lines. This seat is currently held by Rep. Mike Lawler. In 2024, the race for New York’s 17th saw $26 million in outside spending, with the former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones raising $9 million and Rep. Lawler raising $8.2 million. This cycle, Conley has been included in the DCCC’s Red to Blue program and is challenging Rep. Lawler.