Conley Wins 17th District

Democrat Cait Conley defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Lawler for the 17th Congressional District seat on Tuesday night.

Lawler conceded defeat after calling Conley to offer congratulations. He told a crowd of supporters that when the remaining Westchester votes are counted on Wednesday, the result will be clear. The loss allows Democrats to gain control of the U.S. House.

Technical issues with ballot scanners across Westchester County delayed the counting process. Both campaigns urged voters to remain in line at polling places. Lawler stated that a bipartisan plan would allow tens of thousands of set-aside ballots to be counted that evening. He said the ballots would move to a secure central location under police escort. Both parties would oversee the count.

Conley said the Board of Elections was working to resolve the scanner problems. She noted that the polls remained open and operational. She encouraged Westchester voters to cast their ballots. "Nothing should stand between Westchester voters and their right to make their voice heard in this election," Conley said. Her team confirmed they were monitoring the process to ensure every vote was counted.

Lawler is a two-term member of Congress. He represented the district before losing to Conley. The race was closely contested throughout the day. The delay in counting affected voters across the county. The final tally will include votes from Westchester that were set aside during the technical outage.