Chemtob, a Democrat elected on the New Castle Democratic Committee ticket, cites Lawler’s “true, genuine friendship to the Jewish community” and his record of working across the aisle.

New Castle, NY — September 14, 2026 —  New Castle Town Councilwoman Ally Chemtob, a registered Democrat who has served on the Town Board for the past five years, endorsed Congressman Mike Lawler for reelection. Chemtob said she was elected as part of the New Castle Democratic Committee ticket but was speaking as “a proud Jewish mother raising three proud Jewish children with a message to my community about something important, something bigger than party labels and partisan politics.”

“We have faced an explosion of antisemitism in all aspects of our lives. We have also watched many we thought were our allies abandon us. But we have also been reminded of who our true friends are, who is willing to stand with us,” Chemtob said. “And it is with respect to this last category, true, genuine friendship to the Jewish community, a qualification that transcends partisan concerns, that I am here today to announce that I am supporting Mike Lawler.”

“My support for Mike is personal, because when I look beyond party labels to someone I know and trust, I see someone who cares about the safety and well-being of my children,” Chemtob continued. “Jew hatred is on the rise. We are not immune to it here in New Castle. We need elected officials who are willing to confront it, wherever it comes from, even when doing so is uncomfortable, even when it creates political problems, and even when it means challenging people within our own political parties. Mike has always been willing to stand up against antisemitism and to stand with the Jewish community, both before October 7 and after.”

Chemtob pointed to Lawler’s lead sponsorship of the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support by a vote of 320 to 91, his work across party lines on Jewish security, and the A grade he earned in the most recent nonpartisan Bridge Grades report, the top score of any member of New York’s congressional delegation.

“I don’t have to agree with Mike on every issue. Neither do you. But I’m asking you to consider the individual, look at his record, recognize his character and his courage,” Chemtob concluded. “We shouldn’t write off a candidate based off of the letter in front of his name. I am putting the interest of my community ahead of party loyalty, and I hope we can agree that our loyalty should ultimately be to our values, our community, and our conscience. It’s why I am standing here today, breaking with my own party to support Mike Lawler, because Mike is not afraid to stand up for what’s right and just.”

“Ally, I am beyond humbled by your support and, moreover, your friendship. We have been able to work together across the aisle to deliver real results for this district,” said Congressman Mike Lawler. “We are in a moment where moral clarity is needed now more than ever, when people have to stand tall and make clear who they stand with. I will always stand with the Jewish community throughout my district and throughout our country. I want to thank Ally for her leadership and her courage in crossing the aisle to support me in this election. It shows that she is the type of person who, above all else, cares about serving the community and getting the job done.”

Lawler represents one of just a handful of Republican-held districts in the country carried by Kamala Harris in 2024 and won reelection there by more than six points.

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The full video of the endorsement can be found here.

A new 30-second spot from the Lawler for Congress campaign pairs Conley’s own words on data centers with the $328,283 her financial disclosure shows two artificial intelligence companies have paid her since January 2025, all documented on CaitConley.AI

Pearl River, NY — September 12, 2026 —  The Lawler for Congress campaign released a new 30-second ad, “Pay Day,” on Cait Conley’s financial relationship with the artificial intelligence industry and her support for building data centers in the Hudson Valley. The spot begins airing today across broadcast, cable, streaming, and digital as part of the campaign’s $5 million fall advertising program. Pay Day will have over seven figures behind it as it airs on broadcast, cable, digital, and other media.
 

Watch “Pay Day” here.

The ad opens with Conley’s own words: “We need data centers.” The narrator answers: “Cait Conley has hundreds of thousands of reasons why she wants to build data centers in the Hudson Valley. Conley took a massive six-figure payday from the AI companies she steered contracts to when she worked for Biden. No wonder Cait Conley wants them.” Conley closes the case herself: “We need data centers. We’re not going to get rid of them.”

Cait Conley’s full record is available at CaitConley.AI, which documents Conley’s ties to the artificial intelligence industry and the more than $300,000 she has been paid to consult for it.

The number behind the ad comes from Conley’s own filing. Her personal financial disclosure, filed with the Clerk of the House on May 19, 2026, reports $328,283 in salary and consulting fees since January 2025 from two artificial intelligence companies, Hidden Level and Primer. Both companies advertise partnerships with Palantir, and both are federal defense contractors. The Intercept and Politico first reported Conley’s work for the two firms in February. She filed her May financial disclosure only after seeking an extension that would have kept it out of public view until August 13, weeks after the Democratic primary, and only after the Hudson Valley Digger reported on the delay. She has declined to describe what she does for either company, telling voters she signed nondisclosure agreements.

Conley spent the Biden administration in the national security roles her employers sell into, first as a director for counterterrorism on the National Security Council staff and then as a senior adviser at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security, which she left in January 2025. Primer’s website says its AI platforms “support DHS missions.” After Conley left her high-ranking job in the Biden White House and the Department of Homeland Security, she cashed in with a massive six-figure payday from the same AI/big-tech companies who raked in millions in government contracts during her time in the Administration, and whose lobbyists, lawyers, and executives she repeatedly squired around the White House, granting special access and insider perks.

“Cait Conley looked straight into a camera and said, ‘We need data centers, and we are not going to get rid of them.’ Her own financial disclosure shows she’s on the payroll of two AI companies that have paid her $328,283 since the start of last year,” said Lawler for Congress Campaign Manager Ciro Riccardi. “She helped steer federal contracts to these companies while overseeing their work, and is now profiting with massive contracting gigs after leaving the Biden White House.”

Cait Conley owes Hudson Valley voters direct answers to basic questions:

1. What does she do for Hidden Level and Primer in exchange for $328,283?
2. Does she support Governor Hochul’s moratorium on new large data centers, yes or no?
3. If elected, will she recuse herself from legislation affecting the artificial intelligence companies that pay her?
4. Why did she try to keep her financial disclosure out of public view until after the primary?

“While Mike Lawler is fighting to protect our community. Cait Conley is fighting to protect her fat AI company paychecks,” Riccardi said. “Cait should explain to the folks she wants to represent why the Hudson Valley should host the data centers that power the industry paying her.”

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Speaking to Republicans, Democrats, and Independents across the country, Lawler recounted the SALT cap fight, his bipartisan work in Congress, and then introduced Jess and Tom Gorman, whose daughter Sheridan was killed in Chicago by an illegal immigrant with an outstanding warrant.

Dallas, TX — September 10, 2026 —  Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) addressed the Republican Convention in Dallas tonight and introduced his constituents Jess and Tom Gorman of Yorktown Heights, whose 18-year-old daughter Sheridan was shot and killed in Chicago in March.

Lawler began by highlighting the historic tax wins he delivered for the American people and his district, as well as his disagreements with President Trump:

“The truth is that the President and I don’t always agree. And that’s ok. After all, we’re New Yorkers. We argue,” Lawler said. “But, in contrast to what the media tells you, what I learned about President Trump behind closed doors is that if you’re willing to make your case and fight for what you believe in, he’s willing to listen.”

Lawler recounted his public fight with Republican leadership and the President over the SALT deduction. “Instead of rolling over, I made my case directly to the President,” Lawler continued. “By working together, we delivered historic tax cuts for working families and retirees. The average American saved over $2,300 last year, and the typical family of four in my district saved over $4,000 this year as a result.”

Lawler also showcased his work to fight against sanctuary policies and introduced the Gormans, whose daughter, Sheridan, lost her life at the hands of an illegal immigrant in Chicago in March of this year:

“There is nothing compassionate about prioritizing illegal immigrants over U.S. citizens. Sanctuary cities and open border policies are not abstract political positions; they are deadly,” Lawler stated. “The Gormans have more courage than any Democrat member of Congress who voted against protecting our citizens from criminal illegals. They are not running for office. But their story, Sheridan’s story, is the direct result of bad policy. Policies that we can’t afford to go back to ever again.”

Jess Gorman described her daughter, a Loyola University Chicago freshman, as the kindergartener who appointed herself “The Guardian of the Buddy Bench,” going to any classmate who looked lonely. Sheridan was killed on March 19, 2026, after going with friends to the Chicago lakefront to see the Northern Lights.

“Illegal Immigration and these Sanctuary policies have stolen so much from us all, but the one thing it can never steal is our hope. This Buddy Bench for Congress is our hope.  It is a bridge. A place to sit down. To listen. To find a way forward together,” Jess Gorman said. “And Congressman Mike Lawler, tonight we want you to be the first member of Congress to sit on Sheridan’s Bench with us. We chose you to represent us – and you chose us back.  You made Sheridan feel seen.  So thank you.”

“We hope Mike is only the first of many to sit on Sheridan’s Bench,” Jess concluded. “We hope Mike is only the first of many to sit on Sheridan’s Bench.”

Lawler represents one of just eight Republican-held districts carried by Kamala Harris in 2024.

 

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Building trades, Teamsters, rail and transit, maritime, and federal employee unions back Lawler. With the eleven law enforcement unions announced last month, more than thirty unions now back his campaign.

Pearl River, NY — September 8, 2026… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) announced that twenty labor unions have endorsed his reelection campaign, a coalition that runs from the building trades and the Teamsters to the unions whose members run the region’s trains, crew the nation’s ships, move the mail, and staff the federal government. Combined with the eleven law enforcement unions that endorsed Lawler on August 17, more than thirty unions now stand behind his campaign.

The endorsements include:

Building trades

• Building and Construction Trades Council of Westchester and Putnam Counties

• North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (NASRCC)

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 363

• International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC)

• International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 825

• Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) New York

• Laborers’ Local 754

Transportation

• New York Teamsters (Teamsters Joint Council 16)

• Teamsters Local 456

• Transport Workers Union of America (TWU)

• Transport Workers Union New York State Conference

• SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD)

• Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS)

Maritime

• American Maritime Officers (AMO)

• International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P)

• Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA)

• Seafarers International Union (SIU)

Federal and postal employees

• American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)

• National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM)

• National Postal Mail Handlers Union Local 300

Politico’s New York Playbook reported Tuesday that Lawler’s labor support is “significantly higher this year than it was in 2024,” when 17 unions endorsed him. On August 27, the New York Teamsters announced their 2026 congressional endorsements, backing Lawler as one of five Republicans on a bipartisan slate of twenty incumbents, every one of whom voted for the Faster Labor Contracts Act.

“I’m deeply honored to have the endorsements of a broad coalition of labor unions representing the men and women who build our roads and buildings, deliver our packages, run our trains, crew our ships, move our mail, keep our communities safe, and keep the government running,” said Congressman Mike Lawler. “I’ll never stop fighting for the workers who are the backbone of the Hudson Valley economy, and I’ll work every day to keep their support and their respect.”

“Our members understand the importance of electing leaders who recognize the value of good-paying union jobs, strong workplaces, and the dignity of working people. We believe Congressman Lawler has demonstrated a commitment to the issues that matter to working families throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond,” said Louis A. Picani, President and Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 456. “Based on his record, his engagement with our members, and his understanding of the challenges facing working families, Teamsters Local 456 is proud to endorse Congressman Mike Lawler for re-election.”

“It’s an honor to support this bipartisan group of incumbents, because the Faster Labor Contracts Act is a game-changer, and it will empower workers more than any federal law that’s been passed since the New Deal. Support for this bill is a litmus test for whether a member of Congress actually supports the American worker, and every one of our endorsed candidates passed that test with flying colors,” said Thomas Gesualdi, President of Teamsters Joint Council 16, announcing the New York Teamsters’ endorsements on August 27.

“You have a proven track record and the experience of representing all of the people in the Hudson Valley in a way that many others cannot do. We appreciate what you do for us, and we very strongly support you in the next election coming up in November of 2026,” said Sam Fratto, Business Manager of IBEW Local 363.

“Our Council represents over 28,000 members who are dedicated to their craft and who set the highest standards for skills in the construction industry,” said Scott Smith, Business Manager of Carpenters Local 279, on behalf of the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. “We stand with you in the upcoming election.”

“We appreciate your willingness to work across party lines and your commitment to advancing policies that strengthen transportation safety, support working families, and promote economic opportunities,” said Michael S. Baldwin, President of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen. “Your decision to sign the letter to Secretary Duffy urging the Department of Transportation to maintain long-standing rail safety requirements and reject efforts to weaken in-person inspections reflects a clear commitment to protecting railroad employees, the traveling public, and the communities our members serve every day.”

Lawler is a proud Davis-Bacon Republican. He provided the 218th signature on the discharge petition that forced a House vote on the Protect America’s Workforce Act (H.R. 2550), which restores collective bargaining rights for federal employees, and he was one of 20 Republicans who voted for it when it passed the House 231 to 195 on December 11, 2025. He cosponsored the Faster Labor Contracts Act (H.R. 5408), signed the discharge petition that brought it to the floor, and was one of 20 Republicans who voted for it when it passed 230 to 193 on June 9, 2026.

He co-led the bipartisan Safe Tracks Act on rail safety with Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) and cosponsored the Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act (H.R. 4095). He introduced the Transit Funding Flexibility Act (H.R. 5024) to let federal transit dollars support transit workers’ pay, benefits, and training, and cosponsored the SHIPS for America Act (H.R. 3151) to rebuild the American maritime workforce, the Rights for the TSA Workforce Act (H.R. 2086), the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act (H.R. 1065), and H.Res. 70 opposing privatization of the Postal Service. He co-led the Warehouse Worker Protection Act (H.R. 4896). In August, he brought Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling to the Hudson Valley to meet with the Westchester-Putnam Building Trades Council. Since taking office, Lawler has secured more than $80 million in community project funding and federal investment for the Hudson Valley.

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Thirteen American service members were murdered by an ISIS-K suicide bomber at Kabul airport on August 26, 2021, while Cait Conley was serving as a director for counterterrorism on President Biden’s National Security Council staff. Yesterday, as the White House proclaimed a national day of commemoration and the country honored the fallen, Conley said nothing. Five years on, she has never publicly addressed the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal. 

Pearl River, NY — August 27, 2026 — Yesterday, Americans marked five years since the terrorist attack at Abbey Gate, where an ISIS-K suicide bomber murdered 13 American service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians during the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. The White House proclaimed August 26, 2026, a day of commemoration and named each of the fallen: Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover, Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Sgt. Nicole Gee, Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Cpl. Daegan Page, Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, Lance Cpl. David Espinoza, Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Maxton Soviak. In a district Mike Lawler calls a district of heroes, where more than half of households include a veteran, service member, law enforcement officer, or first responder, many across the Hudson Valley joined in that remembrance.

Cait Conley, who reportedly played a crucial role on President Biden’s NSC staff as Director of Counterterrorism, said nothing. As of today, Conley still has not posted a remembrance of the 13 fallen on her watch nor issued a statement on the anniversary, on any campaign account or on her campaign website. On the anniversary itself, Townhall reported that Conley “has never commented publicly about the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal effort.”

Conley was on active duty at the White House during the first two years of the Biden administration, serving, in her own words, as “a director for counterterrorism on the National Security Council staff.” That is also the credential cited frequently when she appears on national television. This places her directly in the Biden White House’s room of decision-makers on the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan in a decade, an attack carried out by the terrorist group ISIS-K.

In May, Fox News reported that Conley has been “largely silent” on the evacuation, that her exact responsibilities during the withdrawal “remain undisclosed,” and that her position “would have likely landed her in meetings about the planning and execution of the evacuation.” Her campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee indicates that the National Security Council “played an outsized role in the decision-making process leading up to the withdrawal.”

“Yesterday, most of the country stopped to honor 13 heroes who gave their lives at Abbey Gate. The White House proclaimed it a day of remembrance. Their families miss them every single day. Yet Cait Conley, who was Director of Counterterrorism at NSC in the Biden White House on the day an ISIS-K bomber killed them, could not muster a single word in remembrance,” said Lawler for Congress spokesman Ciro Riccardi. “She brings up her White House credentials on the campaign trail and in interviews all the time. But five years after one of the deadliest days for American troops in Afghanistan, Cait still will not tell voters what she did, what she knew, or what she thinks went wrong.”

Cait Conley owes Hudson Valley voters honest answers on the following:

1. Why did she offer no public remembrance of the 13 Americans killed at Abbey Gate on the fifth anniversary of the attack, a day the White House proclaimed a national commemoration?
2. What was her role, as a director for counterterrorism on the National Security Council staff, in the planning and execution of the August 2021 withdrawal?
3. Does she believe the withdrawal was handled competently, and if not, who in the administration she served should be held accountable?

“Cait Conley tells voters her national security record is a reason to vote for her, but she refuses to defend her decision-making when it comes to one of the deadliest days for American troops since the turn of the millennium,” Riccardi concluded. “Not only is Cait too chicken to debate, but she’s also too chicken to answer for her failures in the Biden White House.”


 

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NOTUS reports that Cait Conley pledged not to accept corporate PAC money, yet nearly half of the contributions she received from federal PACs came from committees that took corporate PAC money. Conley’s campaign did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment.

Pearl River, NY — August 26, 2026 — NOTUS reported this morning that Cait Conley is “one of the candidates who pledged not to accept corporate PAC money,” and that she has benefited from a workaround the outlet says “is enabling the flow of money from business interests into the campaign accounts of many Democrats who otherwise reject cash from corporate PACs.”

According to the report, “nearly half of the contributions that Conley received from federal PACs came from committees that took corporate PAC money.” Conley received tens of thousands of dollars from PACs that get contributions from corporations, including defense companies Honeywell International and Lockheed Martin.

The report describes a broader arrangement in which committees established by Democratic leaders, including Jeffries, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, “have donated to ‘no corporate PAC money’ candidates while receiving donations from corporations such as banking giant Barclays, pharmacy chain CVS and insurance company UnitedHealthcare this year.”

“Cait Conley made a show of swearing off corporate PAC money, and this morning the whole country learned that her words continue to mean nothing. She’s received tens of thousands of dollars from Washington committees chockful of corporate cash, including money from defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Honeywell,” said Lawler for Congress spokesman Ciro Riccardi. “Corporate money still reached her campaign; it simply made a stop at a leadership PAC on the way, so the pledge could stay on her website.”

Cait Conley owes Hudson Valley voters direct answers to basic questions:

1. Will she return the tens of thousands of dollars she’s received from leadership PACs funded by corporate money?
2. Will she commit, for the rest of this campaign, to refusing contributions from any committee that accepts corporate PAC money?
3. Will she remove the references to not taking corporate money from her website?
4. Why did her campaign have nothing to say when NOTUS asked for comment?

“Cait Conley has spent this campaign lecturing the Hudson Valley about corruption and getting money out of politics, and it turns out that she’s been funneling corporate dollars into her campaign through the side door,” Riccardi concluded. “She should be honest with voters about her pledge meaning nothing, or immediately return all money she’s received from Leadership PACs that take corporate dollars.”

 

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In a thirty-second spot released Wednesday, Cait Conley announced she is running to ban congressional stock trading, enact term limits, and end corruption. Congressman Lawler co-sponsored the stock trading ban and voted to pass it four weeks ago, has backed a term limits amendment and pledged to enact term limits since 2022, and voted to expel a corrupt member of his own party from Congress.

Pearl River, NY – 8/19/2026… The Lawler campaign today offered its sincere thanks to Democrat Cait Conley and her stellar team of well-paid media consultants, whose new ad promotes three reforms Congressman Mike Lawler has backed, voted for, or both.

“I’m running to ban congressional and White House stock trading, enact term limits, and end corruption,” Conley wrote in the post launching the spot. The Lawler campaign agrees these are excellent priorities. It knows this because Mike Lawler got there first.

“We want to thank Cait Conley for the endorsement,” said Lawler for Congress spokesman Ciro Riccardi. “She had thirty seconds of airtime and spent most of them listing things Mike Lawler has already done. She even mentioned him by name in her post, which was thoughtful. Next time we can simply send her our talking points and save her production team the research, since she seems to love copy-pasting Mike’s positions so much!”

For the convenience of the Conley campaign’s research department, a summary:

• Banning congressional stock trading. The House passed the Stop Insider Trading Act on July 22, four weeks before Conley’s ad. The bill bars members of Congress, their spouses and their dependent children from buying individual stocks while in office. Lawler was an original co-sponsor and voted yes.
• Term limits. Lawler is a co-sponsor of House Joint Resolution 12, the constitutional amendment limiting service to three terms in the House and two in the Senate. He signed on in February 2025, eighteen months before Cait’s ad went up. He has also signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge.
• Ending corruption. Lawler co-sponsored the resolution to expel George Santos, a corrupt member of his own party, and was one of 105 Republicans who voted to remove him from Congress. Mike Lawler has helped give corrupt lawmakers the boot.

Lawler’s support for a stock trading ban did not start when he decided to run for Congress, unlike Cait. “Stock trading by members of Congress or their spouses should be banned,” he tweeted in May 2025. “The appearance of impropriety, or worse, is too great.” When the ban passed the House, he put it plainly: “If you serve the public, you serve only the public. You don’t get to play the market with one hand while writing the rules with the other.”

Conley’s ad also leaves out a key detail. When the stock trading ban came to the floor, it passed 232 to 198, and just 13 Democrats voted yes. The bill is now before the Senate. If Conley is serious about the cause she has adopted, the Lawler campaign suggests she begin by persuading her own party to stop voting against it, and tell voters whether she would have joined the other 13 Democrats who voted to ban members of Congress from trading stocks.

“If Cait Conley would like to learn about the rest of Mike Lawler’s agenda, he has accepted four televised debates and will happily walk her through it on any of those stages,” Riccardi concluded. “She has had the invitations since June. Until then, we encourage her to keep cutting ads about Mike Lawler’s stellar record. This one was our favorite so far.”

As for Cait Conley’s concern about “partisanship in Washington,” Lawler earned a 99.2 out of 100 in the latest nonpartisan Bridge Grades report card on bipartisanship, the best score in New York’s congressional delegation.

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Conley, who touts herself as a “moderate,” is joining forces with a party that wants to defund the police, abolish ICE, end military aid to Israel, and spent millions helping elect the Socialist Mayor of New York City – Zohran Mamdani.

Pearl River, NY — 8/17/2026… Cait Conley accepted the endorsement of the New York Working Families Party today, saying she is “excited to be working alongside” the party to make NY-17 “more affordable for us all.” The rollout, announced in Politico’s New York Playbook by New York Working Families Party director Jasmine Gripper, aligns the Democratic nominee in NY-17 with a party whose national and New York leaders have spent years campaigning to cut police budgets, abolish ICE, raise taxes by tens of billions of dollars, and end military aid to Israel.

“The same party that spent seven figures electing socialist Zohran Mamdani just claimed Cait Conley as one of its own, and she says she’s ‘excited’ about it. Hudson Valley voters won’t be,” stated Lawler for Congress spokesman Ciro Riccardi.

The Working Families Party has a very radical and extensive record. The party’s official account posted “Defund the police.” on May 31, 2020, and national director Maurice Mitchell used the party’s blog that same week to urge supporters to call the mayor of Minneapolis and “tell him to cut the police budget.” Weeks later, the party launched a national PAC to elect local candidates committed to moving money out of police budgets, and the “People’s Charter” platform it helped unveil that fall calls to “shift resources away from ‘policing, jails and detention centers.” The party’s New York chapter has defended the state’s 2019 cashless bail law, which ended cash bail for most offenses, and opposed efforts to roll it back.

On immigration, the party’s own website hosts a petition to abolish ICE that calls it “a rogue agency.” In 2024, the party urged Democrats to kill the bipartisan Senate border compromise, calling its revival of Trump-era immigration restrictions “a profound betrayal.”

The party has been just as clear about Israel. Weeks after October 7, it urged Congress to vote no on $14 billion in military aid to Israel, calling the package “a green light and a blank check.” It demanded the Biden administration halt shipments of offensive weapons to Israel, it accused Israel of “perpetrating a mass starvation campaign,” and Mitchell called what is happening in Gaza a “genocide” in a 2024 interview. In 2024, Gripper and her co-director urged New York Democrats to leave their presidential primary ballots blank, demanding that President Biden “correct course on the war on Gaza.”

Conley says she wants to make the district more affordable. The party she took backing from has one answer for affordability: MORE TAXES. In New York, the chapter’s legislative agenda called for six new state taxes, and Gripper personally testified in Albany in support of a slate of tax increases totaling roughly $64 billion in their first year. This year the chapter even declined to endorse Governor Hochul in the Democratic primary while its leaders declared that Albany “must raise revenue by taxing the rich,” but they’ve had no problem endorsing Cait Conley.

The candidates the party elevates tell the same story. The New York chapter ranked Zohran Mamdani first on its mayoral slate, the party’s independent expenditure arm spent seven figures electing him, and the new mayor is a Democratic Socialist who called the NYPD “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety,” promised city-owned grocery stores, supports boycotting Israel, and accuses it of genocide. In May, the national party endorsed Abdul El-Sayed, who says, “When I’m in the U.S. Senate, I intend to lead the effort to abolish ICE,” and pals around with Hasan Piker, a radical extremist who thinks America deserved 9/11. In Pennsylvania, the party endorsed State Rep. Chris Rabb for Congress and, with its allies, spent roughly $1.5 million to support him, a candidate who cast the lone committee vote, 25 to 1, against a bill making infant trafficking a first-degree felony. In 2022, the party endorsed the entire Squad, including Ilhan Omar, who called for dismantling the Minneapolis Police Department.

Even Democrats have warned against this alliance. New York State Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs said of the party’s ballot line in 2024, “It doesn’t make sense for a Democrat to take the line and defend their positions.” The Working Families Party itself passed over Conley in the June primary, endorsing Tarrytown Trustee Effie Phillips-Staley, who finished third with the party’s backing. Conley, despite all of the baggage, welcomed the party’s support anyway, saying “I’m excited to be working alongside the New York Working Families Party.”

“Cait Conley spent the primary telling Hudson Valley voters she was a moderate and normal, and certainly not radical, and she has spent the weeks since being unable to crack 50% of the vote collecting public praise from AOC and now the endorsement of the party of defund the police, abolish ICE, and tax everything that moves,” said Lawler for Congress spokesman Ciro Riccardi. “The Working Families Party has decided Cait Conley is one of their own, and Cait responded by saying she’s ‘excited to be working alongside’ them.”

“This is a party that has advocated for defunding the police, abolishing ICE, stripping Israel of its right to defend itself, and much, much more. The WFP has also backed candidates who think infant trafficking shouldn’t be a felony, who won’t condemn the notion that America deserved 9/11, believe we should increase federal taxes by trillions of dollars, and increase taxes on New Yorkers by tens of billions of dollars,” concluded Riccardi. “Cait Conley, the self-proclaimed ‘moderate Democrat,’ looked at all of those stances and said, I’m in. No one should believe a word she says, and every voter in the Hudson Valley will understand Cait will be just another rubber stamp for the radical left.”

Lawler represents one of just eight Republican-held districts in the country carried by Kamala Harris in 2024 and won reelection by more than six points. In the latest nonpartisan Bridge Grades report card, he earned a 99.2 out of 100 for bipartisanship, the best score in New York’s congressional delegation.
 
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Presidents and officers representing law enforcement across the Hudson Valley, New York City, and New York State stood with Lawler in Rockland County to formally announce their support.

Haverstraw, NY — August 17, 2026… Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) was joined Monday morning in Rockland County by presidents and leaders of police unions from across the Hudson Valley, New York City, and New York State, as eleven law enforcement organizations announced their endorsement of his campaign for reelection, representing over 80,000 law enforcement officers statewide, including:

• Rockland County PBA – President Sean O’Connor
• Police Conference of New York – President Mike O’Mara
• Port Authority PBA – President Frank Conti, First Vice President Michael Mollahan, and Financial Secretary Brian Ahern
• Port Authority Sergeants Benevolent Association – Second Vice President Andrew Caruso
• Haverstraw PBA – First Vice President Michael Lupo and Sergeant Pete Connolly
• Carmel PBA – President Vincent Serio
• Carmel LBA – President Mike Bodo
• Westchester County Correction Superior Officers Association – President Peter DiChiara
• New York State Supreme Court Officers Association – President Patrick Cullen
• Sergeants Benevolent Association of New York City – Treasurer Ed Geary
• New York State Fraternal Order of Police – Zone One Vice President Enrique Pabon

“I grew up here in Rockland County. I know what it means to live in a community where the police are part of the neighborhood, where they coach the teams, know the families, and show up for people on the worst day of their lives. These are the men and women who run toward danger when everyone else runs away, and they are the reason Rockland, Putnam, Westchester, and Dutchess counties remain among the safest places in America to live and raise a family. That happens because of the people standing behind me,” said Congressman Mike Lawler.

“On behalf of the Rockland County PBA, it is my honor to offer our full support and endorsement of your campaign to Congress in New York’s 17th District. We proudly give Congressman Lawler our endorsement, not because of the party he represents, but because of what he has done for police officers, both in office and in his professional life. When it comes to policing and public safety, our decisions are not driven by party affiliation. They are based on the individual, their record, and their commitment to those who serve and protect Rockland County,” said Rockland County PBA President Sean O’Connor.

“The Police Conference of New York represents police officers from the tip of Long Island to Buffalo and up to the Canadian border, including New York City, and at our May meeting we unanimously endorsed Mike Lawler in his reelection campaign for Congress. We’ve known Mike since he was an Assemblyman. He spoke up for us, he called out hypocrisy, and he used common sense. I’m also a constituent, and I appreciate that he puts my family before felons. He always, always, always stands with our police officers, and we will do anything in our power to help him get back into Congress to represent not only the members of his district, but police officers statewide,” said Police Conference of New York President Mike O’Mara.

The endorsements come eight days before cooperation agreements between a dozen New York law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities are set to be torn up under Albany’s new sanctuary law.

“Cait Conley just accepted the endorsement of the Working Families Party, the party that has called for defunding the police and abolishing ICE, and she said she was ‘excited’ to be working alongside them. Meanwhile, Albany Democrats passed the so-called Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which bars local police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities and threatens to strip state law enforcement funding from any department that refuses to comply. On August 25, cooperation agreements at a dozen law enforcement agencies across ten counties will be torn up under that law,” continued Lawler. “I have a simple question for Cait Conley: will you call on Albany to repeal its sanctuary law, yes or no? The men and women on this stage deserve an answer, and so does every family in this district.”

“This election is a choice. You can stand with the people who protect our communities, or you can stand with a party that wants to defund them. I made my choice a long time ago, and I will never apologize for backing the blue,” concluded Lawler. “I want to thank the men and women of law enforcement for this endorsement, and I will work every day to keep your support and your respect.”

Video of the press conference is available HERE.

Photos of the press conference are available HERE.

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After telling a national cable audience that Mike Lawler was “scared” to face her, and that she would “kick [Lawler’s] ass”, Conley ducked Meet the Press and State of the Union, and stalled for 52 days to agree to just two debates, fewer than this district got in 2024 and none before September 28. Lawler has accepted four and is ready for all six. The candidates’ first forum is on Wednesday morning in Poughkeepsie and is open to the press. 

Pearl River, NY — August 14, 2026… After telling a national cable audience that Mike Lawler was “scared” to face her, and that she would “kick [Lawler’s] ass”, Conley ducked Meet the Press and State of the Union, refused CBS2, and stalled for 52 days before agreeing to just two debates, fewer than this district got in 2024 and none before September 28 – after early voter are already being cast. Lawler has accepted four and is ready for all six. The candidates’ first forum of the cycle is on Wednesday morning in Poughkeepsie and is open to the press.

Lawler challenged Conley to six televised debates on June 23, the night her primary was called. He renewed the challenge in a letter on July 7 and proposed holding the first debate that month. He repeated it on NBC’s Meet the Press NOW on July 10, and five days later publicly called on her to stop stalling and accept the six debates plus the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce candidate forum. On August 11, he accepted four debates: Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, State of the Union with Dana Bash, News 12 with Tara Rosenblum, and Pix11 with Dan Mannarino. Conley’s answer took 52 days and rejected two of them. Under her schedule, the first debate of this race comes 97 days after Mike Lawler first asked for one.

Lawler accepted both debates Conley named before she even considered them. The two she killed are the two with the biggest audiences. The National Republican Congressional Committee reported this week that her campaign’s explanation for turning down the networks is that she “doesn’t want to do network debates.” 
 

Two years ago, voters in this district got three televised debates. News 12 hosted Lawler and Mondaire Jones, CBS News New York held a debate between them, and PIX11 hosted the final debate. Conley’s schedule keeps News 12 and PIX11 and drops CBS2. Under her plan, NY-17 voters will have fewer debates in 2026 than in 2024, in a race the entire country is watching – and 1 of only 3 where a Republican won a district also won by Kamala Harris in 2024.

“Cait Conley went on national television in June and told the country Mike Lawler was scared to face her. Shortly thereafter, NBC and CNN offered her a national stage with Mike Lawler, and she chickened out of both,” said Lawler for Congress spokesman Ciro Riccardi. “If Mike Lawler is the one who’s ‘scared,’ why did Cait Conley just run away from two of the debates on the table? We know the answer: It’s because Conley hasn’t lived in this district, doesn’t pay taxes or own a home here, and is embarrassingly unprepared to talk about the issue facing the hard working families, seniors, and small business owners who do.”

Conley’s statement leans on “multiple forums between now and Election Day.” The first one is five days away. On Wednesday morning, August 19, the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce hosts the general election’s first candidate forum at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Poughkeepsie, and it is open to the press.

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