Democratic House hopeful Cait Conley is facing intense scrutiny after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., voiced support for her campaign.
Ocasio-Cortez congratulated Conley on her primary victory in a social media post, saying she looks forward to working together to fight for working families across New York.
However, Conley has yet to comment on Ocasio-Cortez's support or address the trio of far-left candidates who have called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), defunding the police, and advancing the Palestinian cause in Congress.
These candidates, backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have taken positions that are at odds with Conley's own views, leading her opponent, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., to question her stance on these issues.
Lawler's campaign manager, Ciro Riccardi, said in a statement, "Which is it, Cait: do you reject AOC and the candidates who want to abolish ICE, defund the police, and tear down our borders, or do you embrace them?"
The Hudson Valley deserves an answer, and so far, all we've heard is your damning silence," he continued.
The three Mamdani-backed candidates, Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, D-N.Y., and Darializa Avila-Chevalier, have taken extreme views, including advocating for the abolition of prisons, defunding the police, and denying Israel's right to exist.
Avila-Chevalier has also continued to advocate for the total eradication of Western civilization and has been involved in a pro-Palestinian group at Columbia University.
The scrutiny comes after Conley avoided criticizing these candidates during an interview with a news outlet on Thursday, instead talking about her own background and experience.
Conley's failure to address these issues has raised questions about her ability to represent the Hudson Valley in Congress.
The battleground race between Conley and Lawler is expected to be one of the most hotly-contested in the country, with national Republicans expected to aggressively defend Lawler's bid for a third House term.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as a "toss-up" after shifting the race in favor of Democrats earlier this year.
In 2024, former Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly won the purple district, where Democrats hold a sizable voter registration advantage.
