Westchester Dems chair: Maloney is not running for NY-17

The head of the Westchester Democrats shot down a rumor that former Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is considering a run for the 17th Congressional District, following an eyebrow-raising report earlier this month that Maloney, the former chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, was looking to challenge Rep. Mike Lawler. Maloney lost his race to Lawler in 2022 after jumping districts due to new lines, and Democrats lost control of the House under his watch. 

Suzanne Berger, the chair of the Westchester County Democratic Party, told City & State that when she and Maloney spoke recently, he explained he did not plan to run again for the seat, saying “words to the effect” that he doesn’t want people in the district diverting energy toward his possible return. 

“He said, ‘I would have called you if I was planning to run,’” Berger said. 

Maloney, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment, has settled back into his home in Putnam County after a stint in Paris serving as the U.S. ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 

So far, seven Democrats have launched campaigns in the district, each hoping that they’ll get a chance to face Lawler and flip the seat blue. Rockland County Legislator Beth Davidson and former national security official Cait Conley currently lead the crowded field of candidates in fundraising. Whoever comes out on top can expect high levels of support from the national and state Democrats, who view Lawler’s district as a top pick-up opportunity. 

Lawler will also have the full weight of the national Republican Party behind him as the GOP goes to great lengths to retain the majority in the House. Lawler recently met with President Donald Trump before choosing a run for reelection over a rumoured gubernatorial bid.

The crowded field of Democratic challengers has worried some local Democratic leaders, who fear that donor bases and endorsements will be spread thin coming out of a primary next year. Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said the point of floating Maloney as a possible candidate could be to consolidate the field.

“There's a set of people who would like to get that group down. There’s another set of people that don’t think that (is) the right approach,” Jenkins said. “Those in the ‘thin the candidates’ group may think if Sean Patrick Maloney was running, people would drop out.”

Berger believes that the field of serious candidates needs to shrink, which is one reason why forums featuring a truncated group of Democratic candidates will be held over the coming months. 

“It helps for focus, but most importantly, it makes whoever wins the primary stronger than if the vote is splintered in too many directions,” she said. 

Following the initial publication of this story, a former staffer to Maloney reached out to City & State to say that Maloney is in fact considering a run and Berger may have misunderstood him when they spoke. The staffer requested anonymity to speak freely, and Maloney himself continued to ignore multiple requests for comment.

It seems that Maloney’s camp is using anonymous leaks to test the waters for a potential campaign, while still offering county Democratic leaders the impression that he is not currently planning to run, in order to hedge against any bad blood lingering from his failed run in 2022. In the aftermath of that campaign, he drew criticism from some corners of the district for not taking the time to ingratiate himself in communities that he had never represented before.