{"id":374709,"date":"2026-10-16T11:20:45","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T11:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/374709\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T11:20:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T11:20:45","slug":"lawlers-dem-opponent-cait-conley-throws-hochul-under-the-bus-in-jaw-dropping-public-burn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/374709\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawler’s Dem opponent Cait Conley throws Hochul under the bus in jaw-dropping public burn"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Democratic candidate running against Republican Rep. Mike Lawler<\/a> shockingly threw Gov. Kathy Hochul under the bus \u2014 telling a crowd she agreed with her opponent that the governor<\/a> \u201chas got to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cait Conley delivered the jaw-dropping burn this week, becoming the second Democratic congressional candidate <\/a>to publicly distance themselves from Hochul ahead of next month\u2019s midterms.<\/p>\n

The stunning moment came after Lawler, the incumbent congressman repping New York\u2019s 17th House District, railed againstt New York\u2019s business climate \u2014 citing the highest in the nation taxes, congestion pricing and red rape \u2014 during a Putnam County VFW forum Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need a new governor. Kathy Hochul has to go,\u201d he said in closing, as the conservative-leaning crowd cheered him on, video obtained by The Post shows.<\/p>\n

\"CaitDemocratic House candidate Cait Conley took a swipe at Gov. Kathy Hochul. Obtained by the NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to tell you: I\u2019m in absolute agreement with my opponent,\u201d Conley, who was sitting next to Lawler at the dais, surprisingly said immediately after as she stood to address the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolute agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawler and other Republicans on the dais started clapping, and one yelled, \u201cBlakeman!\u201d referring to Hochul\u2019s GOP opponent in the November 3 election.<\/p>\n

Lawler even looked at Conley and smiled, telling her, \u201cI set you up on that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conley did not defend<\/a> fellow Democrat Hochul, the favored incumbent seeking re-election<\/a> to a second, four-year term against Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not helping you in a moment when you desperately need it,\u201d Conley, an Army veteran and Biden administration national security adviser, told the veterans\u2019 group during her response.<\/p>\n

She noted that New York\u2019s $17 minimum wage<\/a> is among the highest in the country, which puts local businesses at a competitive disadvantage and said she supported a higher federal minimum wage to deal with the disparity.<\/p>\n

\"KathyConley said Gov. Hochul (pictured) \u201chas got to go.\u201d Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re getting screwed,\u201d Conley said. \u201cYou deserve better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the Conley campaign<\/a> claimed Lawler was \u201clying\u201d about her caught-on-video response at the VFW forum, though did not mention Hochul by name.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter yet another disastrous debate performance, career political operative Mike Lawler is lying in a desperate attempt to save face,\u201d said Conley campaign spokesperson Maddy Rosen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the full recording makes clear, Cait Conley was agreeing that New York\u2019s small business owners need more support. That shouldn\u2019t be a partisan issue, but a party-first politician like Mike Lawler could never comprehend that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conley has lauded Hochul on other occasions.<\/p>\n

The Democratic hopeful Conley has heaped praise on Hochul for her moratorium on new data center development<\/a> and her sanctuary measures<\/a> banning localities from entering into agreements with ICE.<\/p>\n

At Wednesday\u2019s PIX11 debate a day after the forum, when asked to give the governor a report card rating, Conley gave Hochul a \u201cB.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two have not publicly campaigned or held rallies together, but Hochul spoke at a fundraiser<\/a> for Conley in Peekskill on October 4.<\/p>\n

An internal Lawler campaign poll released earlier this month had Hochul polling at 47% to Blakeman\u2019s 51% in the district. The same poll had Conley also at 47%.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the second instance in a week in which a Democratic congressional hopeful distanced themself from Hochul.<\/p>\n

Democrat Blake Gendebien refused to say if he would even vote or support Hochul when asked by a Utica-area radio station on October 8. He\u2019s running to replace retiring Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik in the 21st upstate House district, which encompasses the North Country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I support is anyone that will help the North Country be absolutely successful,\u201d Gendebien said on WUTQ\u2019s Talk of the Town.<\/p>\n

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