News & Politics
Jeffries to stump for Conley, Johnson to stump for Lawler
Congress’ two most powerful leaders are coming to NY-17.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are planning to come to NY-17 to boost Rep. Mike Lawler and his Democratic challenger Cait Conley, respectively. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
A slate of political heavy hitters, including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, will visit the 17th Congressional District in the next few weeks to stump for Rep. Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley, both campaigns exclusively told City & State. Jeffries will hold an event with Conley on Oct. 24 to kick off early voting and Johnson’s Oct. 27 rally for Lawler will be held in Rockland County.
Both candidates, deadlocked in one of the most competitive races that could determine which party controls Congress, are holding a series of rallies in the Lower Hudson Valley district to drive turnout.
This weekend, House Chief Deputy Whip Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, former Gov. George Pataki and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman will kick off a canvass for Lawler in Mount Pleasant. Then, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, the former Long Island congressman who came within 6 percentage points of defeating Hochul in 2022, will make appearances with Lawler for two days. They’ll be in Rockland on Sunday and then head to southern Dutchess County for an energy press conference Monday with U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. Teamsters international president Sean O’Brien, one of the few labor leaders to cozy up to President Donald Trump, is expected to hold a large Oct. 22 rally for Lawler in Elmsford with House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer.
Meanwhile, several House Democrats are planning to come to the district to galvanize voters for Conley, a veteran and White House Security Council's former director for counterterrorism. Rep. Jamie Raskin will rally for Conley in Nyack on Saturday, and Rep. Lauren Underwood, a Democrat from Illinois, will rally for the on Oct. 23. And Rep. Suzan DelBene, a Democrat from Washington who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, will stump for Conley on Oct. 31, with others possible before Election Day.