Candidates in NY's 17th Congressional District race discuss key issues as Election Day nears
The countdown is on in New York’s 17th Congressional District race between Republican Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley.
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The countdown is on in New York’s 17th Congressional District race between Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley.
Both were out in the district on Tuesday for different events.
Rep. Lawler was in Chappaqua alongside other Republicans, like Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is running for governor. A lot of the time was spent calling out Gov. Kathy Hochul and sanctuary policies.
"I will support any legislation that ends sanctuary jurisdictions in this country," said Rep. Lawler.
Lawler also called out his opponent.
"Cait, do you support Kathy Hochul's sanctuary law? Yes or no?" asked Lawler.
The Gorman family was also there. The Yorktown couple’s daughter, Sheridan, was shot and killed earlier this year in Chicago. Officials say the suspect was in the country illegally.
The Gormans, who participated in a recent News 12 debate, are now appearing in Lawler campaign ads.
“I'm here because I care about your kids. I think that if we can just save one life, that my daughter didn’t die in vain," said Sheridan's mother, Jessica Gorman.
Conley responded to questions about this after a late Monday afternoon event in Rockland.
“I'm unwavering in my support to our law enforcement and to the government’s responsibility to keep our communities safe and secure. I do believe that means having strong border security. That means having immigration enforcement that goes after the violent criminals, the terrorist groups, the drug cartels, the human traffickers that should not be here in this country and our communities. What happened to Sheridan Gorman is unacceptable and heart-wrenching," said Conley.
She talked about other big issues like gun violence, alongside Democrats, including former Rep. Gabby Giffords.
"Americans are less safe now. We need national leadership to fight gun violence," said Giffords.
News 12 reached out to Hochul's campaign. A team spokesperson sent the following statement:
"The murder of Sheridan Gorman is a tragedy, and if found guilty, the man responsible should serve the maximum sentence and then be deported. The way we keep New Yorkers safe is by focusing our local law enforcement on actual criminals, not assisting in ICE operations that harass innocent people and split apart families. Governor Hochul is focused on holding violent criminals accountable and giving law enforcement the resources they need to protect our communities.”
