NY-17: Last in a series on the environmental stakes behind one of the nation’s most fiercely contested congressional races.

Before midnight, and before any official body had called the race, Republican incumbent Mike Lawler conceded to Democratic challenger Cait Conley in New York’s 17th Congressional District. Conley flipped the closely watched toss-up seat, denying Lawler a third term in a district Kamala Harris won in 2024, as a nationwide blue wave promises Democrats a commanding House majority. 

It was a district in which energy costs, data center development and nuclear power were central to campaign messaging. Though climate policy was seldom invoked by name, Conley pledged to fight climate change “as a national security priority.”

“When all of the votes are counted tomorrow in Westchester, it’s gonna be pretty clear that we will be short,” Lawler said during a speech to supporters Tuesday evening.

Westchester County experienced widespread problems with ballot-scanning machines on Election Day, delaying results, with concerns that the issues might discourage low-propensity voters. Still, Conley carried the county by a 34-point margin and flipped the seat by roughly 5 percentage points, according to preliminary results Wednesday. The outcome represents an approximately 11-point swing toward Democrats compared with the 2024 congressional race.

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