New York Democrats avert competitive primary in top House target

Liz Whitmer Gereghty, a former member of a local school board, announced Tuesday that she was exiting the Democratic primary for New York's 17th District and endorsing former Rep. Mondaire Jones' campaign against freshman Republican Mike Lawler. Gereghty, who is the sister of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, explained that she was ending her campaign for this lower Hudson Valley seat because "[u]niting party and focusing our resources on taking back the House is critical to fighting back against the radical extremism plaguing our politics."  

Observers spent months anticipating a tough battle between Gereghty and Jones, and a Politico story in April predicted the match would be "brutal" and "ugly." Indeed, Gereghty had already signaled that she would highlight how the former congressman unsuccessfully ran for renomination in a New York City seat last year in order to avoid a primary against the seat’s fellow incumbent, Sean Patrick Maloney. (Lawler went on to unseat Maloney, who was serving as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, 50.3-49.7).

But Jones, who said in December, "I've also learned my lesson, and that is home for me is in the Hudson Valley," massively outraised Gereghty during his first quarter in the race, a move that likely influenced her decision to drop out. Jones is now on a glide path to the nomination: His only remaining intraparty is former Bedford Town Supervisor MaryAnn Carr, who has generated little money or attention.