{"id":615,"date":"2026-08-19T21:42:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T21:42:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615"},"modified":"2026-08-19T21:42:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T21:42:56","slug":"the-first-ny-17-forum-of-the-general-election-was-well-awkward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615","title":{"rendered":"The first NY-17 forum of the general election was \u2026 well \u2026 awkward."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

If you\u2019ve been paying attention to their campaign ads and social media rhetoric lately, you might have been surprised to see Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Cait Conley smiling and posing for a photo together Wednesday. But much like the interaction itself, there was a palpable feeling of awkwardness at the first forum of the 17th Congressional District general election cycle \u2013 arguably one of the nation\u2019s most competitive House races this November.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Council\u2019s pied-\u00e0-terre hearing produces many grievances, few answers<\/a><\/p>\n

The Dutchess County Chamber of Commerce breakfast marked Lawler and Conley\u2019s first joint public event since they became general election opponents. Conley, a U.S. Army veteran and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, is trying to unseat the sitting member of Congress, who\u2019s seeking a third term. But the incumbent and the combat veteran weren\u2019t likely speaking to many potential voters. The forum, held at the DoubleTree Hilton in Poughkeepsie, is outside the district, which includes a part of southern Dutchess County (in addition to northern Westchester and all of Rockland and Putnam counties).<\/p>\n

Lawler and Conley took turns answering the same questions for just under an hour, and discussed immigration, high energy costs, the conflict in the Middle East, data centers and more. They both carefully followed the rule not to directly address each other during the forum itself \u2013 though they may have slipped in a discreet dig or two.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are real challenges \u2013 we all know that \u2013 but it’s not enough to just scream and yell,\u201d Lawler told the crowd at one point. \u201cIt\u2019s not enough to say \u2018I hate the president.\u2019 You actually have to find a path forward. That is what I have consistently done, and that is what I will continue to do.\u201d It was a subtle jab at Conley, as the Democratic primary was defined largely by the field trying \u2013 and failing \u2013 to avoid making the race about President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can just ask people: Their lives have not gotten better over the last two years, they\u2019ve gotten harder,\u201d Conley said, addressing reporters after the forum. \u201cAnd when you talk about rising costs, it’s been across the board because of votes that Mike Lawler has taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s forum was a cordial kickoff that showed that the most significant policy difference between Lawler and Conley is on immigration enforcement. Conley said she believes local police should focus on local crime rather than executing federal immigration tasks, and has called out U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for past incidents of violence. She backs the main provisions of a new immigration law that limits police working with ICE. The state and federal government are embroiled in litigation over the policy, which takes effect next week. But Conley stops short when asked if she gives the law her full blessing. \u201cI know (from) speaking with our local law enforcement that they can absolutely continue to coordinate with the federal government on criminal activities,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Meet the new kingmaker who could lead the Brooklyn Democratic Party<\/a><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Lawler supports Trump’s efforts to secure the border, and routinely blasts state leaders for spending billions of dollars in recent years for resources for migrants, like housing, food and healthcare and called the new policy limiting ICE \u201cdisastrous.\u201d \u201cWe need an immigration policy that works,\u201d he said Wednesday. \u201cWe need to secure the border, and we have effectively done that for 14 straight months.<\/p>\n

But the two also share plenty of views that are similar. They both answered a lightning round of yes-or-no questions nearly the same way \u2013 including one question about tariffs.<\/p>\n

Early in the forum, Conley said that tariffs have driven up costs and said Trump\u2019s tactic of using them as a threat is \u201creckless,\u201d \u2013 continuing arguments she championed against tariffs during the primary. But later in the forum, she said she supports tariff exemptions for small businesses when comparable products aren\u2019t available in the U.S. That took Lawler by surprise. \u201cAfter a whole year and a half of bashing tariffs, she said she supports them,\u201d he told reporters later. \u201cFrankly, that’s fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n

The real fiery discourse between the two candidates is expected at two televised debates scheduled for this fall. And those are unlikely to have the same level of decorum as at Wednesday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n

Read more We Covered a Zoo? The best and worst press conference locations<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If a bit forced, Rep. Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley kept it civil, even in one of the country\u2019s tightest congressional races.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":614,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3],"tags":[9,7],"class_list":["post-615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-congressional-midterm-elections","category-new-york-state","tag-2026-congressional-midterm-elections","tag-new-york-state"],"yoast_head":"\nThe first NY-17 forum of the general election was \u2026 well \u2026 awkward. - Business Relocation Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The first NY-17 forum of the general election was \u2026 well \u2026 awkward. - Business Relocation Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If a bit forced, Rep. Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley kept it civil, even in one of the country\u2019s tightest congressional races.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Business Relocation Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-19T21:42:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0\"},\"headline\":\"The first NY-17 forum of the general election was \u2026 well \u2026 awkward.\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-19T21:42:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615\"},\"wordCount\":762,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1c1aa0fb8287ea7284f4732dd6d2d7e7.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2026 congressional midterm elections\",\"New York State\"],\"articleSection\":[\"2026 congressional midterm elections\",\"New York State\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615\",\"name\":\"The first NY-17 forum of the general election was \u2026 well \u2026 awkward. - Business Relocation Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1c1aa0fb8287ea7284f4732dd6d2d7e7.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-19T21:42:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1c1aa0fb8287ea7284f4732dd6d2d7e7.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1c1aa0fb8287ea7284f4732dd6d2d7e7.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":400},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?p=615#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The first NY-17 forum of the general election was \u2026 well \u2026 awkward.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Business Relocation Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/businessrelocationdigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The first NY-17 forum of the general election was \u2026 well \u2026 awkward. - Business Relocation Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The first NY-17 forum of the general election was \u2026 well \u2026 awkward. - Business Relocation Digest","og_description":"If a bit forced, Rep. Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley kept it civil, even in one of the country\u2019s tightest congressional races.","og_url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615","og_site_name":"Business Relocation Digest","article_published_time":"2026-08-19T21:42:56+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0"},"headline":"The first NY-17 forum of the general election was \u2026 well \u2026 awkward.","datePublished":"2026-08-19T21:42:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615"},"wordCount":762,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1c1aa0fb8287ea7284f4732dd6d2d7e7.jpg","keywords":["2026 congressional midterm elections","New York State"],"articleSection":["2026 congressional midterm elections","New York State"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615","url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615","name":"The first NY-17 forum of the general election was \u2026 well \u2026 awkward. - Business Relocation Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1c1aa0fb8287ea7284f4732dd6d2d7e7.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-19T21:42:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1c1aa0fb8287ea7284f4732dd6d2d7e7.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1c1aa0fb8287ea7284f4732dd6d2d7e7.jpg","width":400,"height":400},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=615#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The first NY-17 forum of the general election was \u2026 well \u2026 awkward."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/","name":"Business Relocation Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3174a35dc160ba2a2c93ee7892afb9e0","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}