Cait Conley

Cait Conley, 41, is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to Newsweek. She served about 16 years in the Army with six overseas deployments, including to combat zones; New Politics, which endorsed her, says she served in Army special operations. She went on to senior national security positions at the Army, the National Security Council, where New Politics says she was director for counterterrorism, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. In 2026 she ran for New York's 17th Congressional District, held by Republican Mike Lawler. In the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary she defeated Rockland County Legislator Beth Davidson and Tarrytown Village Trustee Effie Phillips-Staley; the Associated Press called the race about an hour after polls closed, per WAMC, and Newsweek reported her share at about 49.5 percent with roughly 94 percent counted. She faces Lawler in the November 3, 2026 general election.