Latest news with #17thDistrict
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sixth Democrat joins 2026 race for Mike Lawler's seat. Who is Effie Phillips-Staley?
A sixth Democrat is jumping in the race for Republican Rep. Mike Lawler's seat and staking claim to what she sees as an open lane so far in the crowded field: unapologetic progressive. Effie Phillips-Staley, a 54-year-old Tarrytown village trustee and longtime nonprofit leader, has launched her campaign for New York's 17th Congressional District, the Hudson Valley turf that Lawler has won twice and is sure to be a key battleground in 2026. She filed her federal paperwork and posted a kickoff video to introduce herself to voters on Monday, May 12. "I don't think to win in this moment requires us to move to the right," Phillips-Staley said in a pre-launch interview, arguing Democrats should instead "double down" on core party values — as she intends to do. "We need to get back to our people-powered roots," she said. Lawler's Rockland town hall: Mike Lawler faces sharp questions at raucous town hall in Rockland. How he answered Five other Democrats are already campaigning for the 17th District primary, to be held in late June 2026. They are: Rockland County Legislator Beth Davidson; Cait Conley, a 16-year Army veteran and national security official in the Biden administration; former journalist Mike Sacks; former FBI analyst John Sullivan; and Jessica Reinmann, founder of the anti-poverty nonprofit 914Cares. In a statement responding to Phillips-Staley joining the race, Lawler campaign spokesman Chris Russell said: 'Looks like the Democrat clown car primary just added another passenger, making it a cozy six-ring circus of far-left hopefuls tripping over each other to win the 'most radical' trophy and AOC's endorsement.' Lawler is weighing whether to run for governor or a third House term in 2026, and says he'll decide by June. His district takes in all of Rockland and Putnam counties, the northern half of Westchester and part of Dutchess. It's one of 40 House seats viewed as most competitive by the non-partisan Cook Political Report, which rates it currently leaning in Lawler's favor. Phillips-Staley is highlighting her own upbringing as the daughter of a working-class combat veteran and an El Salvador immigrant — the sort of people she said would be hurt most by today's Trump administration policies. She said she plans to focus her campaign on the housing affordability crisis, the impact of climate change and abortion rights. "There simply is not enough housing, and the impact on people's lives is real," she said. Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@ This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY 17: Who is Effie Phillips-Staley, Democrat in race for Lawler seat?
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The ‘Trump Honeymoon' is over: Democrats continue town hall push in deep red districts
Today, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Representative Maxwell Frost (D-FL) continued their town hall push in Florida's GOP-held 17th congressional district, the latest stop in their tour of deep red districts where Congressmembers are refusing to hold town halls with their constituents.
