Liz Gereghty, a small-business founder and sister of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), announced a Democratic bid Tuesday for a New York congressional seat that Democrats narrowly lost last year and see as one of their best pickup opportunities next year as they try to reclaim control of the House.
The seat, in the northern New York City suburbs, is held by Rep. Michael Lawler (R), who pulled off a stunning upset last year of Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D), then the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Underscoring the importance of the area to Democrats, President Biden plans to hold a campaign-style event near Lawler’s district in Westchester County on Wednesday to highlight the fight with Republicans over the debt limit. Biden carried Lawler’s district over then-President Donald Trump in 2020.
In announcing her congressional bid, Gereghty highlighted her service on the local school board, casting herself as someone who can “find common ground and make things happen.”
“But today, extreme Republican leaders in Congress — enabled by the current 17th District Congressman — are threatening our core rights, our safety and our economic future,” she said. “Instead of solving problems, they are trying to roll back women’s reproductive rights, blocking even modest gun safety measures, threatening to default on the debt, and spending more time worrying about how to ban books than helping our families and small businesses thrive. That has to change.”
While Gereghty is expected to benefit from the star power of her sister, she is new to congressional politics, and she may not have the Democratic primary field to herself.
Former congressman Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), who ran unsuccessfully in another district last year, is considering a comeback bid in the 17th. And Maloney, who lost to Lawler by only 1,800 votes, has not ruled out seeking a rematch.
Gereghty stressed in her announcement that she has lived in New York’s Hudson Valley for more than 20 years.
“New York’s 17th Congressional District is my home,” she said. “It’s where I raised my three children, started my own small business in Katonah, had the privilege of signing somebody’s first paycheck, oversaw an education budget of over $100 million as a school board member, and led the effort to improve our school facilities and ensure a quality public education for all of our kids.”