New York and New Jersey House Races Draw National Focus
Two competitive House contests in New York and New Jersey are drawing national attention as voters cast ballots on November 3, with the outcomes potentially affecting which party controls the chamber. Democrats are seeking to win enough seats to take the majority; Republicans are trying to keep it.
In New York’s 17th Congressional District, Mike Lawler, a Republican serving in the House, is running for reelection against Democrat Cait Conley. An Army veteran, Conley previously worked in national security. She has put affordability and health care at the center of her campaign and faulted Lawler for backing President Donald Trump and his agenda.
Since entering Congress in 2023, Lawler has pointed to cross-party cooperation and work on local issues, while saying he has at times disagreed with Trump. He has also highlighted efforts to lower taxes. Conley has argued that voters want a change in leadership.
Across the state line, New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. is seeking a third term in the 7th District against Democrat Rebecca Bennett, who is making her first run for Congress. Kean won the seat for Republicans in 2022 after it had been held by a Democrat. Bennett has stressed affordability and criticized Kean’s support for Trump, while Kean has promoted bipartisan solutions for families.
The New Jersey contest is among the state’s House races being watched as voters decide whether Democrats can regain the seat. Both campaigns have made household costs a central issue, while framing their opponents’ records and priorities differently.
Democratic Challengers Make Affordability Central in Key House Races
Voters in two closely watched House districts are weighing whether Republican incumbents Mike Lawler and Tom Kean Jr. deserve another term, as Democrats seek the seats in their effort to take control of the chamber. The contests put affordability—and the incumbents’ support for President Donald Trump—at the center of the debate.
In New York’s 17th District, Democrat Cait Conley, who served in the Army and previously held a national security post, has focused on the cost of living and health care. She has criticized Lawler for backing Trump and his policies, arguing that voters want change rather than more of the leadership she says contributed to their difficulties.
Lawler, who entered Congress in 2023, points to bipartisan work and local accomplishments, and says he has broken with Trump on some issues. But his emphasis on his record does not answer Conley’s criticism of his alignment with the president.
In New Jersey’s 7th District, Rebecca Bennett is challenging Kean, who won the seat for Republicans in 2022. Bennett, in her first congressional campaign, has made affordability a priority and criticized Kean’s support for Trump. She has also highlighted affordable health care as a central concern.
Kean has promoted bipartisan solutions for families and efforts to lower taxes. The choice facing voters is between those claims and challengers’ arguments that household costs and health care demand a change in representation. The races could help determine which party controls the House.
Republican Incumbents Defend House Seats With Bipartisan Records
As voters decide control of the House on November 3, Republican incumbents Mike Lawler and Tom Kean Jr. are making the case that their records of local work and bipartisan problem-solving matter more than Democratic attacks on their support for President Donald Trump.
In New York’s 17th Congressional District, Lawler is running for reelection after entering Congress in 2023. He points to cooperation across party lines, local results and occasions when he has disagreed with Trump. Democrat Cait Conley, a former Army member who held a national security position, is centering her campaign on affordability and health care while criticizing Lawler’s support for the president.
Conley says voters want change, but that argument does not erase Lawler’s case that he has delivered for the district. His campaign has also highlighted efforts to lower taxes, while describing him as an effective member of Congress.
In New Jersey’s 7th District, Kean is seeking a third term after Republicans flipped the seat in 2022. Democrat Rebecca Bennett, making her first congressional run, has focused on affordability and criticized Kean’s support for Trump. Kean has instead advocated cross-party approaches to help New Jersey households and efforts to reduce taxes.
Democrats are trying to win enough seats to take the House, while Republicans are fighting to retain their majority. These races put the challengers’ affordability arguments against incumbents who say their experience and work across party lines are better for their districts.
Reported by ABC7 New York, CBS New York.
