Sister of Gretchen Whitmer ends campaign for Congress as New York Democrats unify in bid to flip House

Liz Whitmer Gereghty, the sister of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, ended her campaign for New York’s 17th Congressional District on Wednesday and endorsed former Rep. Mondaire Jones, sparing Democrats a bruising and expensive primary fight as they try to win back the suburban seat – and a House majority that could run through the Empire State – next year.

“Uniting our party and focusing our resources on taking back the House is critical to fighting back against the radical extremism plaguing our politics,” Gereghty, a former local school board trustee, said in a statement. “In that spirit, I endorse Mondaire Jones’ campaign for Congress.”

The Hudson Valley district, located north of New York City, will be crucial in the fight for control of the House next year. Republicans won a slim five-seat majority in 2022, dealing a blow to President Joe Biden and his legislative agenda, largely on the back of their success in New York. The GOP flipped four seats in the state, including the 17th District won by Republican Mike Lawler.

All four seats are among six in New York that would have backed Biden in 2020, and Democrats are banking on the state returning to historical voting trends next year – and potentially a more favorable congressional map – as they seek to reclaim control of the House, a goal that almost certainly requires unseating Lawler.

Jones represented much of the current district for a single term until earlier this year. After redistricting ahead of the 2022 midterms, neighboring Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the chair of House Democrats’ campaign arm, opted to run for the redrawn 17th District. Rather than challenge Maloney, Jones relocated to New York City to run for a new Manhattan- and Brooklyn-based seat but finished third in the Democratic primary. Maloney went on to lose to Lawler in the fall.

“Last night, Liz Whitmer…