Greetings everyone. Sharing a new conversation we had earlier today with Cait Conley, another one of our proven servant-leaders fighting hard to flip a red House district blue this November. As Cait reminds us in the interview we backed her in the primary (which she won) when Republicans spent more against her than they did in any other Democratic primary - and that’s because they are arguably working harder to defend this seat than they are any other seat in the country.
So not only will Cait be a great Member of Congress in a time of enormous challenge for the country, beating Rep. Mike Lawler, a big MAGA guy, will be an enormous blow to them. So we need to win this one peeps!
While Cook has NY-17 as a +1 Dem district Lawler has been a formidable candidate, significantly outperforming the partisan lean last cycle:
Here’s Cait on how she was trained to run towards danger, not run from it (and one reason she has turned out to be such a strong candidate):
So in the Special Ops world where I spent the majority of my career — as actually one of the first women to lead in Special Ops — there’s a saying that you run to the sound of the guns. What that means is if there is a fight somewhere, there is an expectation and responsibility for you to go to that fight. And to be there and to do the right thing, to fight back. To not shy away from danger, but to run towards it. To show courage. And that is what this moment is all about.
Our country needs us in this moment of crisis to step up and choose courage and fight back. And that looks like a lot of different things for a lot of different folks, but it’s been that moment of courage that has really built this incredible team. I’m here today, not because of me, but because of this incredible group of folks who’ve had my back and are working so hard with me. And I’ll tell you, that has shown itself in the ground campaign we’ve been able to build. Last weekend, in the middle of a nor’easter, we still knocked 7,000 doors. We knocked 11,000 doors the weekend before, and this is a suburban area where that’s not easy. And I have to tell you, we already have shown so much momentum where we’ve consistently been the number one congressional campaign in the country for canvass shifts.
Again, just showing the magnitude of the energy, the support, and how we’re continuing to build that, to grow that, and executing. And I know they’re scared because of how much money they’re pouring in to try to save Mike Lawler.
You can support Cait Conley today by making a contribution to our core Winning The House - Stake In The Ground Fund or by giving to her campaign directly here. You can learn more about Cait by visiting her campaign website where you can also sign up to volunteer.
Last night Cait debated Rep. Lawler for the first time. Here are a few key moments from the debate:
Friends, enjoy this update from Cait Conley, another one of our inspiring candidates leaving it all out there on the playing field for us this cycle. Share this interview with others, hit like so more will see it, throw a contribution her way, and keep working hard all. We have a country to save, and elections like this one in NY-17 to win this November, together! - Simon
Cait Conley is a proud fourth-generation Hudson Valley native from working-class roots who understands the values of hard work and public service. Cait’s mom, born in Peekskill, was a postal worker for 48 years, serving communities throughout the Hudson Valley. Her dad, born and raised in Hopewell Junction, was a construction worker, and her grandfather and great-grandfather worked in the Montrose brickyard.
Cait was a junior at Pine Bush High School on 9/11 when she watched the Twin Towers fall. In that moment, she felt her calling to serve and protect. The next day, she started her application to the United States Military Academy at West Point, earning a congressional nomination from the late Congressman Maurice Hinchey and eventually graduating in the top 2% of her class. Cait was the first in her family to graduate from college and went on to earn master’s degrees from MIT and Harvard.
Cait has answered the call to serve our country time and again. She served for 16 years as an active-duty Army officer, deploying overseas six times to combat zones including Iraq and Afghanistan, leading America’s sons and daughters to keep our country safe. She broke barriers as one of the first women in Special Ops leadership, and was awarded three Bronze Stars for displaying “the highest degree of professionalism, sound judgment, and technical and tactical competence while conducting combat operations.”
Cait’s career as a public servant continued here at home, protecting our security and democracy while serving as the Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council at the White House (which led to her being banned from Russia). She later helped safeguard our critical infrastructure and election systems at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), defending our democracy by protecting the security and integrity of our elections and by standing up directly to Trump’s Big Lie about the 2020 election.
During her service at the White House and CISA, Cait worked directly with Congress on some of the most complex threats facing our country, including drafting and reviewing federal legislation to address critical national security issues and keep American families safe. She led efforts to strengthen the security and resilience of our nation’s critical infrastructure — from the water we drink, to the energy that powers our homes. From combat zones to the White House Situation Room, Cait’s been in the room where crucial decisions get made and has a proven track record of delivering for the American people. She’s the only candidate in this race who’s prepared to enter Congress on Day One and deliver results for NY-17.
Cait has put her life on the line to defend this country. Today, she looks around and sees a nation she barely recognizes, an administration abusing its powers to punish political opponents, a country being pushed in the wrong direction, chaos abroad, and reckless tariffs that are raising costs for hard-working families. The same politicians who created this mess won’t be the ones who fix it. She has the courage to do what’s right, the strength to fight and win against Donald Trump and his enablers like Mike Lawler, and the leadership to deliver results on Day One.
In NY-17, families are increasingly getting priced out, shut out of opportunities, and feeling left behind. Infrastructure is crumbling. Housing is unaffordable. And quality healthcare is out of reach for far too many.
Cait is not a lifelong politician or political operative. Throughout her career, she has been called upon to solve the toughest problems and deliver. And with the stakes this high, there’s no time for on-the-job training. That’s why Cait is running for Congress – to stop the talk and actually deliver on a better future for New Yorkers.
