GOP Rep. Mike Lawler concedes to Cait Conley in hotly-contested NY House race

Democrat Cait Conley won the hotly contested race for New York’s 17th Congressional District — knocking out incumbent Rep.Mike Lawler in a critical blow for Republicans.Conley, 41, took the race Tuesday by 7 points, winning 53.3% of the vote to 40-year-old Lawler’s 46.6%.The GOP lawmaker and Trump ally conceded just before 11 p.m.

despite a ballot-counting snafu in Westchester County that wasn’t expected to affect the overall vote.That nail-biting finish matched the rest of the race — which saw both candidates neck and neck almost start to finish, with many polls finding them mere points apart right up to the finish line.It also followed a troubled election day, when ballot machines failed at numerous polling places across Westchester County.

The machines spat thousands of ballots out and refused to count them, with the board of elections chalking the problem up to a programming issue.That forced election officials to secure the ballots for later counting, and caused fears of delays in the critical district race.Conley’s win could have far-reaching implications for the balance of power in Washington — as the 17th is one of New York’s few swing districts and means Democrats won back a crucial seat in the House amidst predictions of a nationwide blue shift.Republicans had held the 17th since 2022, when Lawler clinched the vote in another tight race — 50.3% to 49.7% — and defended his seat in 2024 with a more decisive 7-point spreadLawler’s seat helped Republicans dominate the House, paving the way for President Trump to roll out his agenda when he retook the White House in 2024.New York’s 17th stretches across the lower Hudson Valley from around White Plains to Hopewell Junction, giving it a wide spread of population density and demographic makeup.That makeup includes a sizable Jewish population, meaning debates of US policy towards Israel — and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s derisive views of the Jewish nation — took center stag...