Battleground New York is back and ready to spend $6M on Democrats

After success in 2024 helping get Democrats elected to Congress in the state, Battleground New York is officially launching its 2026 efforts to grow the conference and defend vulnerable members. The super PAC is planning to spend $6 million on races around the state, Battleground spokesperson Andrew Grossman told City & State.

Among Battleground’s “offensive plays” this year is the 1st Congressional District on the east end of Long Island. Although traditionally a swing seat, Republicans have held it for over a decade now, with Rep. Nick LaLota currently in the seat.

With President Donald Trump in power, the midterm is shaping up to be a wave year for Democrats, and “districts like NY-1 are the kind of districts that you can pick up in a wave year,” Grossman said. The average number of seats to swing in midterms has been about 35, he said, and“NY-1 is smack in the middle of those 35 seats in terms of possibilities… So we want to help make that possibility, that probability.”

Three Democrats have filed to run in the district. Leading the pack appears to be military vet Chris Gallant, who launched last summer and has picked up a handful of endorsements from local political leaders. Lukas Ventouras, a 24-year-old law school student, is also running.

Battleground New York isn’t the only group ready to target NY-1. Emily’s List, a group dedicated to electing women, recently added the district to its nationwide Mission Majority initiative. (So far, no women appear to be running for the seat.) The Suffolk County seat was not a major priority for Democrats in 2024, even as they performed well overall in New York. 

In addition to NY-1, Battleground New York is also targeting the 17th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley to unseat Rep. Mike Lawler. The seat is easily one of the most competitive in the entire nation with a crowded and contentious Democratic primary to determine who will take on the Republican incumbent. The group will also work to protect Democratic Reps. Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi in Nassau County, and Rep. Josh Riley in the Hudson Valley. “The Republicans having the Nassau County executive as the top of the ticket, (Suozzi and Gillen) are both running upstream,” Grossman noted, referring to the Republican candidate for governor, Bruce Blakeman.

Battleground New York is a super PAC focused on canvassing, and its backed and funded by a coalition of labor union and advocacy groups including 1199SEIU, the Working Families Party, AFSCME, CWA, Indivisible, Planned Parenthood, the New York State Nurses Association and 32BJ SEIU.