The incumbent is Mike Lawler, whereas his opponent Mondaire Jones is a former District 17 congressman.
Republican incumbent Mike Lawler and Democrat challenger Mondaire Jones squared off on Oct. 16 of their bid for New York’s seventeenth Congressional District seat within the Hudson Valley.
The seventeenth Congressional District encompasses all of Rockland and Putnam counties, in addition to elements of Westchester and Dutchess the place 59.6 p.c of residents voted for President Joe Biden within the 2020 presidential elections.
The controversy aired on Information 12 Westchester simply weeks earlier than the Nov. 5 basic election, which may even resolve management of the U.S. Home of Representatives. Tara Rosenblum, Information 12’s lead reporter, was the moderator.
“Their race is an important battleground that would decide the steadiness of energy in Washington, D.C., for years to return,” she mentioned.
At present, Republicans maintain a slim majority of 218–214 within the Home.
An Emerson Collge/PIX11 TV survey between Oct. 1 and Oct. 3 reveals an in depth race. Lawler is main Jones 45 p.c to 44 p.c.
A digital coin toss decided that Jones, a former congressman who beforehand represented District 17, would current his place first.
In his opening assertion, Jones mentioned he needed to revive girls’s reproductive rights and shield Social Safety and Medicare for the long run.
He additionally addressed the chaos on the border. “I need to ensure that we cross the bipartisan border safety invoice pending in Congress proper now that my opponent is obstructing,” the Democratic candidate mentioned.
Invoice S.4361, also referred to as the Border Act of 2024, would increase Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) authority to handle the processing of non-U.S. nationals and gives supplemental appropriations for associated functions, in addition to gives DHS emergency authority to take away or prohibit the entry of sure non-U.S. nationals inside 100 miles of the southwest land border.
Republicans typically opposed it as a result of they favor H.R.2., also referred to as the Safe the Border Act of 2023, which might restrict parole for non-U.S. nationals by outlining causes for which parole could also be granted.
“We don’t assist open borders and amnesty for legal illegals,” Lawler rebutted in his opening assertion.
The Republican candidate additionally mentioned he doesn’t assist socialism, congestion pricing, and government-run healthcare.
After their opening statements, the candidates had been pitched questions from the district’s constituents for which that they had 90 seconds to reply.
When one viewer requested what the opposing candidates would do to handle local weather change on a federal degree, Jones touted his assist of the Inflation Discount Act (IRA) for its funding in clear, renewable power.
“I’m somebody who truly delivered laws that combats local weather change,” Jones mentioned. “We’ve got to ensure our communities are shored up, that they’re heartened, and that we’ve got the capability to face up to these more and more frequent and extreme climate occasions.”
Lawler denied the allegation lodged by Jones that he had as soon as mocked local weather change on Twitter earlier than he ran for Congress.
“I imagine in local weather change,” Lawler mentioned. “It’s actual.”
He additionally famous his coverage contributions to environmental safety. “As a member of Congress, I’ve introduced again important funding to assist clear water sewer infrastructure enhancements. I’ve fought to dam barges from arising the Hudson River. I’ve fought to dam the discharge of poisonous wastewater into the Hudson River.”
Each candidates introduced differing views over a spread of points, together with public security.
“Cashless bail was the only, stupidest piece of laws that has ever been enacted into legislation, anyplace,” Lawler mentioned. “Three quarters of these being arrested are migrants.”
Jones has mentioned he desires the federal government to spend money on alternate options to incarceration, get rid of necessary minimal sentences, abolish non-public prisons and the federal demise penalty, and denied Lawler’s allegation that he advocated to defund the police.
“I by no means voted to chop funding for legislation enforcement,” Jones mentioned. “We’ve got to ensure we proceed to fund our police.”
Comptroller Brad Lander and Congressman Mondaire Jones collect earlier than a press convention in entrance of the Metropolitan Detention Middle in Sundown Park, Brooklyn, N.Y., on Aug. 16, 2022. David Wagner/The Epoch Occasions
FEC knowledge reveals Jones main financially with $4,312,536.71 in money readily available in contrast with Lawler’s $3,930,455.81, and Lawler holding a slight edge in contributions with $5,736,579.61 in comparison with $5,540,543.21 for Jones.
Each candidates shook their heads in disagreement when poked with barbed feedback by their opponent.
For instance, Lawler criticized Jones for being an alleged avowed socialist and extremist, to which Jones rebutted, “We’re going to listen to quite a lot of lies tonight … I by no means referred to as myself a socialist.”
When Jones accused Lawler of a sample of racism for refusing to take part in a candidate’s discussion board hosted by the NAACP and showing in blackface at a 2006 Halloween get together, Lawler responded, “I acknowledge why folks had been upset. I mentioned sorry each in The New York Occasions and on TV.”