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Voters in one of the country's most competitive congressional districts choose the candidates they want to see in November today. New York 17th and the Hudson River Valley is a top Democratic target, as the party tries to retake the House. Five Democrats are vying for the chance to take on Republican incumbent Mike Lawler. Reporter Steve Kastenbaum spoke with voters.
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STEVE KASTENBAUM, BYLINE: The majestic river that cuts through this swing district and the surrounding green bluffs are the bucolic backdrop for an election that factors into who will control Congress after the midterms.
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KASTENBAUM: At Riverfront Park in Peekskill, a small working-class city around an hour north of Manhattan, 74-year-old retiree Mike Callahan said affordability is top of mind here.
MIKE CALLAHAN: It's really crazy the gas prices now and the food prices. I just went - at the store before I came to walk, and, you know, I can afford it. But, like, I know that so many people can't afford it, and everybody is really hurting.
KASTENBAUM: A few blocks away in downtown Peekskill, 23-year-old Kelsey Schiavone, 50 years younger than Callahan, landed on the same concern.
KELSEY SCHIAVONE: It's increasingly expensive to live. So definitely affordability is a huge factor, definitely want to see more affordable housing.
KASTENBAUM: Democrats see this race as one of their best shots at flipping a House seat held by a Republican, Congressman Mike Lawler. The two Democratic candidates leading in the primary polls, Army combat veteran Cait Conley and Rockland County legislator Beth Davidson, are both focused on voters like Callahan and Schiavone, who worry whether they'll be able to keep living here.
SCHIAVONE: It's definitely scary, especially being a younger person, because I do see my future being in New York, but especially Westchester County, and I don't want that to be kind of taken away from me.
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KASTENBAUM: Commuters who ride trains into New York City every day make up a large portion of this three-county district. They've elected Lawler twice. It's one of just three House districts in the country held by a Republican that former Vice President Kamala Harris carried in 2024. Democrats outnumber Republicans here by tens of thousands, but more than a quarter of registered voters are unaffiliated - independents who may hold the key to victory in November.
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UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) USA.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Thank you very much.
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KASTENBAUM: Congressman Lawler tells constituents he's a moderate Republican, that he isn't beholden to MAGA. Still, he votes with President Trump on nearly every major bill. Last month, President Trump came to Rockland County to rally for him in person. The area is home to a large Orthodox Jewish community that supports the incumbent.
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TRUMP: And he's really become a friend of mine. And he's a warrior. He's a warrior who fights like hell. And he fights really for you. That's what he's doing. And Mike Lawler, Congressman, come on up.
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KASTENBAUM: Democratic Party strategists caution against making this race about the president. On Main Street in Nyack, where pride flags hang in storefront windows, Stacy Jackson said there's no avoiding it.
STACY JACKSON: For me, I think the biggest thing would be to just get out of Trump's umbrella. Mike Lawler is in it. He's the epitome of people who claim to not be MAGA but are MAGA.
KASTENBAUM: Andrew Juhl, also in Nyack, said the issues matter less to him than the math.
ANDREW JUHL: Which of those candidates - 'cause they're all pretty similar on the issues - which of those candidates is going to stand the best chance of defeating Mike Lawler?
KASTENBAUM: Apart from affordability, this district holds a wide range of views on a variety of topics, including the Iran war and Israel-Gaza. Whoever wins this primary will face a Republican incumbent in an area where Trump's approval rating has been sinking. For NPR News, I'm Steve Kastenbaum in New York's Hudson River Valley.
(SOUNDBITE OF SUSLXRD666 SONG, "TWO CUPS DOWN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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