HUDSON VALLEY- According to the latest Cook Political Report, the 2024 races for all three Hudson Valley House of Representatives seats are anticipated to be competitive. Two of the three districts are considered “toss-ups” and the third is ranked as a lean Democratic seat.
The race for New York’s 17th Congressional District, which is currently represented by freshman Republican Mike Lawler, is one of the races rated as a “toss-up.” Lawler upset long-term Congressman Sean-Patrick Maloney by winning in a district that heavily favored President Joe Biden just two years earlier. Lawler is being challenged by former Democratic Congressman Mondaire Jones, who left the district in 2022 to run for Congress in New York City, as well as Liz Whitmer Gereghty, a small businesswoman.
The race for New York’s 19th Congressional District is also being rated as a “toss-up” by Cook. Freshman Republican Marc Molinaro is set to square off against his opponent from 2022, attorney Josh Riley. The 19th spans the Hudson Valley, Catskills, Southern Tier, and Finger Lakes regions of the state.
The 18th Congressional District, represented by Freshman Democrat Pat Ryan, has been listed as a “lean Democrat” seat for 2024. Ryan was the only Democrat to win a seat in Congress from the Hudson Valley in the 2022 cycle, and experts project a more favorable environment for Democrats in 2024. Former Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate Alison Esposito recently announced her intention to challenge Ryan. Esposito and her former running mate, Lee Zeldin, won the 18th district by around 3 percentage points in 2022.
According to Cook, competitiveness is determined by several factors, including the district’s political makeup, the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses, the political environment in the state and nationally, and interviews with candidates and campaign professionals.
