Bulwark Takes - Mike Lawler Bent the Knee to Trump. Now I’m Coming for His Seat. (w/ Cait Conley)

Episode Date: July 15, 2026

Lauren Egan speaks with Democratic congressional candidate Cait Conley about taking on Mike Lawler, Trump’s broken promise to avoid new wars, and Lawler’s four votes against reining in the administration’s Iran conflict.Make your summer wardrobe easier. Go to https://Quince.com/bulwarktakes for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.

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guest today, Kate Conley. She recently won a competitive primary in New York's 17th congressional district. This is the Hudson Valley area. And the seat is currently represented by Mike Lawler. And this is one of the Democratic Party's top pickup opportunities. When we hear Democratic officials talk about majority makers, it is this exact kind of seat that they are talking. talking about. So Kate, I'm really excited to have you here. Thanks for making the time. Why don't you give us like the quick 30 second intro to you and how you ended up running in this race to begin with? Yeah, well, Lauren, first, thanks for having me and for covering the race. As you talked about, this isn't just a fight for the Hudson Valley in New York 17. It's a fight for a

country. It's a fight for us taking back the majority and writing in this administration, which a Republican-controlled Congress has given a blank check to include my current member of Congress, Mike Luller, the guy that I'm taken on this November and trying to to send into his next phase and I was bringing a leader of character back. And, you know, what inspired me to take on this fight, it's the same thing that inspired me to go to West Point after 9-11 and serve as an activity army officer for 16 years, you know, six tours overseas, leading America's sons and daughters. It's love of this country. It's the fact that I believe America is worth fighting for. And when I see our future being put in jeopardy by a government and administration,

that is fueled by corruption and greed, that is making decisions that are putting our families at greater risk, that's putting our future at greater risk. We have a responsibility to stand up and fight. Those are the values that my blue-collar family raised me with. You know, my family's called this district home for the last four generations, going back to my great-grandfather who worked in the brickyards. And so it's that ethos of hard work, tenacity,

believing this country, loving this country, and the responsibility to stand up and be able to. fight for what's right. I want to talk a little bit more about Mike Lawler, but before we do that, the primary phase of your race was pretty interesting. You ended up winning by a fairly comfortable margin, but it was still kind of bitterly fought until the end. And I'm curious what your strategy was in this phase. It seemed to me kind of watching from afar that you were pretty careful not to appear overly partisan. I know you talked a lot about needing to broaden the tent and appeal to independent and even Republican voters. And I think there's been some debate within the Democratic

Party about whether primary voters are interested in candidates with more crossover appeal. So why did you think that that was ultimately going to be a kind of a winning pitch? And how did you pull off this primary win? Talk to us about what that phase and strategy was like. I'm incredibly proud of what we built over the last year. You know, we ended up winning all four counties in the district for our primary. And really, again, that was despite Republicans. wanting so badly to ensure that Mike Luller would not have to face me in November

that Republicans spent $1.5 million attacking me in the final 10 days of our Democratic primary. And so that shows you how scared Luller is to face me and he should be. You know, what we built in the primary showing that a person, the right person, can put this whole district in play, not one part of it or another part of it, but all four counties, corner to corner. and to unite people around a shared mission. And I think when you talk about what does it take to flip New York 17 to beat Lawler, it's having a person that doesn't just inspire and motivate the Democratic base to turn out.

We have to do that, and that's huge. But also can win over people who may not share our political affiliation, but share our values. And so much of what we are talking about, it's not a Democratic or Republican vision or message. It's America. It's American values. You know, I talk about very proudly wearing the uniform doing six overseas deployments fighting for this country. And when I think about the America that I fought for, it was in America where the rule of law applied to everyone, even the president, right? Where the American dream was real, not a thing of the past.

where immigrant neighbors lived in hope and not fear, and where health care decisions were made between families and their doctors, not the government. Like, we fought for freedom. And I think that is what is motivated so many of us who have served to step up and fight in this way. It's we're watching this administration attack the very foundations of what it means to be America, to be an American, to have those freedoms. And we got to put it to an end.

We got to stop it. And I think going back to these things appeal to people. And there is so much more that unites us than divides us. And I will tell you, folks on both sides of the aisle are just so sick of the dysfunction and corruption. And so much of it stems from partisanship. You know, we've watched these partisan fights tear families apart, communities apart. People are sick of it.

They just want government to work. And I think that's where, again, people like me, we've served. The stakes couldn't be higher in what we've done. We know the importance of achieving the mission, especially when the stakes are this high and putting country before a party. And that's what this fight is about. Yeah, talking about your service, you know, there is this trend of Democratic women, veterans and former national security officials running for office.

I think it really started back in 2018 when we look at people like Alyssa Slotkin and Abigail Spanberger. do you see yourself as kind of similarly in that vein? And I'm curious why you think that model has been so successful, especially for Democratic women over the past couple cycles. So there's something about people who've put on the uniform and served, right? It's this special bond where you've seen someone who loves this country so much, loves the American people in our community so much, that we're willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for it.

willing to give our lives for it. And there is no greater show of love for this nation and the people in it than that. I think the other part of this is when you look at what the military has been asked to do, the missions it's been charged with taking on and conducting. It's life and death, right? It's the safety and security of the American people. And those missions aren't easy, but we find a way to be successful. We find a way to achieve it. And excuses aren't acceptable. is not an option. And I think it's that kind of ethos that the American people so badly want brought back into government. Because right now, what you see is a Congress, is an administration that isn't doing the hard, is not going out there and saying, we're going to find a way to

solve problems, even though it is challenging. And that's what people are sick of. And so they want authentic people that they can trust is going to do the right thing for them and their family in this country. Even if we don't agree on every policy decision, they know the values are aligned. Yeah. And, you know, obviously, when you were first deciding to run, the war in Iran was not yet a factor. But here we are. How has that kind of played out on the campaign trail for you? I mean, I imagine it's given your background, something that you feel quite comfortable sort of talking about, but what does that look like in practice on the campaign trail and when you're trying to draw this contrast with Lawler?

Mike Lawler has given Donald Trump a blank check in this Iran war four times. A war that this administration has demonstrated was a reckless endeavor. I say this is somebody who's a firm believer we cannot let Iran get a nuclear weapon. How this administration has conducted this conflict, however. the leadership and the guidance it has given our military forces, it shows the incompetence of this cabinet, the incompetence of this administration, where this conflict has left us less safe, not more.

And that is inexcusable. And so when you look at the cost that we are bearing and the loss of service member lives and the cost of really this economically, like I've got families here in the district that have to make a decision about whether or not to fill up the grocery cart or their gas tank. That's something that this administration caused with this conflict. That's unacceptable. And so what people are sick of is, I think, won the lies.

You know, Trump literally campaigned on not getting us into more forever wars, yet literally led the charge on this one. And I say this as somebody who's gone to war multiple times in the Middle East. You know, this is where our service members deserve better. And right now, what we are seeing out of this administration is not a serious approach to national security. They're entertaining a negotiation that would actually be less secure and less safe in terms of the Iranian nuclear development program than what we had with JCPOA. We see in Iran that now controls the Strait of Hormuz that did not exist or did not occur before this conflict. And so instead of solving real problems like the affordability crisis, this administration,

creates new ones and pours the fuel in the fire that families are already struggling to put out in terms of paying their bills and putting food on the table. And I think it's not surprising because we've heard from Donald Trump himself. He doesn't care. And Mike Lawler has blindly enabled that. Again, four times voting against the war powers resolution, giving Donald Trump a blank check for this conflict, failing to do his job and reining in the executive branch, even though they have very clearly failed to articulate an exit strategy and how they're going to get us there. This is brought to you by Quince. So one thing I love about the summers, how easy everything feels.

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So there's a group of us called the Hellcats, my girls, that, you know, we've met along this journey. Yeah, no, I got to give credit to Joanna Mendoza out in Arizona, 6, who came up with it. But Rebecca Bennett down in Jersey 7 and Morris Sullivan up in New Hampshire, you know, it's, again, a group of friends that we found one another on this journey. and I think largely because we share that same love of country and that shared heritage in terms of service and a desire to get this country back on the right path. Well, if you all win your races, you will have friends in Congress. So there you go.

Look, so you first came on my radar. I'll be honest with your, I think your announcement video made its way through my algorithm. And, you know, for folks who haven't seen it, It's got some buzz at the time. You're basically introducing yourself. It's a standard kind of, you know, your background, why you're running for this race. And you're talking about all these things as you're working out. You're like flipping tires and doing push-ups in the gym.

And I feel like the gym workout campaign ad has kind of become a trend among Democrats this cycle. And like, it's really worked. Like, I saw this organically in my algorithm. So why do you think that's been so successful? and what was your decision behind shooting the intro, first campaign ad in a gym? So it's funny because men's health did an article about this. I think it was last year where they gave me credit for kicking off the quote-unquote political arms race.

Where honestly, a big part of it was just trying to show people the authentic me, right? You know, pushing myself fitness, it has been a huge part of my life as, a military officer in the special operations community. And I think just showing the ability to persevere, to push yourself, to take on hard things and to push through the pain when necessary to get it done. And right now, like, people are angry. You know, they want someone that they can trust is going to fight like hell for them that isn't just saying it or pretending it, but like, is that? And I think it's that essence of just who we are and what we're bringing to this fight and why that was so much fun to do. And again, just I wanted people to see me and

and to see a big part of my life. And, you know, the type of discipline also that comes with working hard and not being scared to do really hard things. Okay, let's talk a little bit more about Lawler. You know, just to kind of like scene set this for some folks, he is just one of a few House Republicans who held onto their seats in 2024 in districts that Kamala Harris won. He's tried to pitch himself as this more moderate member of the GOP caucus. Given all of that, and you've touched on some of this, but give us kind of the big picture. Why is he a weaker candidate this time around compared to 2024? I think so importantly, we have to note that he talks a big game of moderation.

chin. But it is a smoke screen. When the smoke clears, the damage of his time in office is very clear for folks. They see it at their kitchen tables where they've had to make tradeoffs between paying the electric bill or their health insurance premium. You know, what they can possibly do to make tradeoffs between prescriptions and groceries. This is all a scenario or a reality that Mike Lawler has enabled. You know, the question that I ask folks who voted for him is simple. Since Mike Lawler was elected in November of 2022, do you feel better about life and your economic security or prospects? You know, is it any easier to put food on the table, a roof over your head or keep the lights on or afford health care?

The answer is no. And so he presents this front of lies because he knows it's what people want to hear. But his actions show he has bent the knee to Donald Trump. Mike Lawler votes one way. That is Donald Trump's way. And that is shown by his voting record. And it is time for him to be held accountable. So the smoke screen he has put up, that smoke is clearing.

And accountability is coming. And that's what November will show. But we can't fall for it anymore. You know, he can't outrun his record and the harm he's done to family senior in the Hudson Valley. You're obviously only a couple weeks into the general phase, but I think it seems like one of the Republican strategies so far is going to be to try and tie you to some of the Democratic primary victories in New York City, specifically the left wing insurgents, as we're sort of calling them, who won house primaries a couple weeks ago, trying to tie you to like Zora and Mom Donnie and the DSA, all stuff I'm sure you've already heard over the past couple weeks. talk to me about how you're thinking about those attacks and how you plan to handle them over the next couple months. Yeah, good luck, bro.

Like, come on. You know, I think my life of service speaks to the values that I stand and fight for. I do believe border security is national security. You know, I started my military career as a military police officer. I believe in law enforcement supporting communities and being there for people on the worst days of their lives to help them, to protect them. I do believe that this government has a responsibility to the American people to ensure its safety and security. And so, look, yeah, in very blue New York City, you know, voters chose who they chose, but I will tell you, just up here in the Hudson Valley,

Democratic primary voters chose a proud West Point graduate, 16-year, Decorate Army Special Ops, Combat Veteran, and proud patriot. All right, Kate, we'll leave it there. Thank you so much for making some time. Really, really interesting race. One of the most important races this cycle. So come back and keep us updated as we get into it over the next couple of months. Thanks so much. It was awesome.