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This week marks the unofficial kickoff of Democrats' campaign to win one of the most vulnerable Republican House districts in the country.
President Joe Biden is headed GOP Rep. Mike Lawler's New York district this week to rally against House GOP plans to address the deficit and the debt ceiling. It's one of a handful of seats that have a Republican member of Congress and voted for Biden in 2020 — by 10 points, according to a Daily Kos analysis, meaning Lawler has a battle on his hands to win re-election in a presidential year.
Meanwhile, Lawler's first declared Democratic challenger is jumping into the race on the eve of Biden's trip, which will come one day after Biden meets with congressional leaders from both parties to negotiate how to avoid a default crisis.
Liz Gereghty, a business owner and school board member in Katonah, N.Y., announced on Tuesday that’s she running for the Democratic nomination in the Hudson Valley-based 17th District.
According to a campaign statement, she has served on the local school board for four years and lived in the Hudson Valley for over 20 years. She is also Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s sister.
“Today, extreme Republican leaders in Congress — enabled by the current 17th District Congressman — are threatening our core rights, our safety, and our economic future,” Gereghty said in a statement.
Lawler’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the congressman told CNN on Monday, “I think it would behoove everybody to stop wasting time and actually sit down and negotiate."
"There’s going to be a meeting tomorrow," Lawler continued, "but the president has already announced he’s coming to my district on Wednesday to decry, you know, extreme MAGA Republicans, which pretty much already tells you how tomorrow’s meeting is going to go.”
Another potential Democratic candidate considering a run against Lawler is former Rep. Mondaire Jones, Politico reports. He represented parts of the district through 2022. He lost the Democratic nomination in 2022 for New York's 10th Congressional District after redistricting scrambled the state's congressional map.
Maloney went on to lose the general election to Lawler last fall. Now, it’s all hands on deck for Democrats as they try to win back this New York swing seat.
Regardless of who wins a Democratic primary, Lawler's district would be a top get for the party. House Majority PAC, the flagship super PAC aligned with House Democratic leadership, has named it a top target for this election cycle and has promised to invest over $45 million to win New York congressional seats in 2024.
And a new poll released by the group's non-profit arm, House Majority Forward, found that 32% of Lawler's constituents approve of the job he's doing, while 35% disapprove. The rest of the constituents polled -- about 33% -- responded "Not sure."
CORRECTION (May 9, 2023. 8:15 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this story misstated the primary that former New York Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones. He lost the New York 10th Congressional District primary last year, not the 17th.