GOP Rep. Mike Lawler leads Dem challenger Cait Conley in latest NY-17 poll

A key congressional battleground race in the Hudson Valley is heating up with Rep.Mike Lawler (R-NY) holding a slim 5-point lead over his Dem challenger in a new poll. The survey from polling outfit co/efficient released Thursday shows Lawler with 50% of the vote to Cait Conley’s 45% as the two jockey for position in one of the most competitive House races in the country.Lawler had an even wider lead amongst independents with 54% to Conley’s 39%.

The poll has a 2.7% margin of error.“We anticipate Mike will be ‘surging’ past Cait on Election Night as he heads towards a third term of delivering for Hudson Valley voters,” Lawler spokesperson Ciro Riccardi told The Post.“Fortunately for Cait, she can go back to her lucrative consulting for AI defense contractors, maybe even helping advise them on who to deport next,” he further snarked, pointing to Conley’s work after serving on the National Security Council under President Joe Biden.While Cook Political Report rates the 17th District as a toss-up, Fox News’ rankings moved the pivotal race into the “lean Dem” column this week.“Though the choice seems obvious, Cait is not taking a single vote for granted,” Conley spokesperson Maddy Rosen wrote in a statement to The Post.“While Mike Lawler spends his days cozying up to the corporations and lobbyists backing his campaign, Cait is crisscrossing the district talking to working families about the soaring utility rates and healthcare cuts they’ve experienced on Mike Lawler’s watch.”Lawler handily defeated former lefty Rep.

Mondaire Jones by six points in 2024, despite the district going blue for Kamala Harris.The suburban district includes all or parts of Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties....