August Primary Preview: 2 Democrats Vye In 17th Congressional District

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The Democratic primary for New York's 17th Congressional District is an insiders' battle as progressive State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi is challenging six-term incumbent Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

The redrawn District 17 now includes central-northern Westchester, all of Rockland and Putnam counties and southern Dutchess County.

Biaggi, whose underdog campaign for the state senate in 2018 toppled powerful conservative Democrat Jeff Klein, is running to the left of Maloney with the endorsement of Maloney's colleague in the New York delegation, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The two candidates are in agreement about much — including gun safety and opposing the right-wing rollback of civil rights. They differ on campaign finance reform and on how hardline Democrats should be.

"I’m the first openly gay person ever elected to Congress from New York,” Maloney said in a July interview with Jewish Insider. "I’m raising an interracial family in a Trump district. When I hear my opponent talking about standing up against entrenched forces and being bold, I feel like I’ve done that in my career. I don’t need a lecture.”

Biaggi called Maloney a sell-out, saying he undermines Democrats' values by taking money from corporations, in particular the health care, fossil fuel and financial industries.

Biaggi does not take any corporate PAC money. "I believe that our number one job as Democrats and our ability to actually defeat Republicans is to prove that we're actually on the side of working people and stand by institutional reform. Right now Washington allows every corporate interest to fund and elect politicians and institutions don't deliver because of it," she said during a candidates forum Aug. 1.

"The most important thing we can do is pass comprehensive campaign finance reform including disclosing the source of so-called dark money," Maloney said. However, he thinks the Democrats should not "unilaterally disarm."

Maloney angered some on the left by announcing he was running for re-election not in District 18, where he is the incumbent, but instead where he lives — the community of Cold Spring, which ended up in District 17 when districts were newly drawn to reflect the 2020 Census. Freshman Rep. Mondaire Jones in District 17 was surprised and angry, according to reports — and is running for the District 10 seat in New York City, to which he would move if elected.

Biaggi had initially been running for District 3 when it included her hometown of Pelham, but when that was redrawn she announced her challenge for District 17, to which she would move if elected.

The Working Families Party, which is usually progressive, switched its endorsement to Biaggi in June though Maloney, through a technicality, will have the party's ballot line in November whether he wins or loses the Democratic primary.

The two participated in a candidates forum with the League of Women Voters on Aug. 1.

There are nine days of early voting for the Aug. 23 primary. Early voting is primarily a daytime operation, though several days have afternoon-evening hours and Westchester also offers three days with earlier hours.

In Dutchess, Putnam and Rockland counties, early voting hours are:

1. Saturday, August 13, 2022 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
2. Sunday, August 14, 2022 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
3. Monday, August 15, 2022 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
4. Tuesday, August 16, 2022 from 12 Noon until 8 p.m.
5. Wednesday, August 17, 2022 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
6. Thursday, August 18, 2022 from 12 Noon until 8 p.m.
7. Friday, August 19, 2022 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
8. Saturday, August 20, 2022 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
9. Sunday, August 21, 2022 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

In Westchester County, early voting hours are:

1. Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
2. Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
3. Monday, Aug. 15, 2022 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
4. Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022 from noon until 8 p.m.
5. Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
6. Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022 from noon until 8 p.m.
7. Friday, Aug. 19, 2022 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
8. Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
9. Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Early voting centers

In Dutchess County:

• Mid-Hudson Library Auditorium 105 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
• East Fishkill Community Library 348 Route 376, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
• Cornell Cooperative Center 2715 US-44, Millbrook, NY 12545
• Boardman Road Library 141 Boardman Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
• Fishkill Town Hall 807 Route 52, Fishkill, NY 12524
• Rhinebeck Town Hall 80 East Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
• Roosevelt Engine Company #3 830 Violet Avenue, Hyde Park, NY 12538

Putnam:

• North Highlands Fire House, 504 Fishkill Road, Cold Spring, NY 10516
• Putnam County Office Building, 40 Gleneida Ave., Room 102, Carmel, NY 10512

Rockland

• Clarkstown Town Hall, 10 Maple Avenue, New City, New York 10956
• Haverstraw Town Hall, 1 Rosman Road, Garnerville, New York 10923
• Orangetown Town Hall, 26 West Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, New York 10962
• Ramapo Town Hall, 237 Route 59, Suffern, New York 10901
• Stony Point Community Center (RHO), 5 Club House Lane, Stony Point, New York 10980

Central and northern Westchester

• Greenburgh Town Hall, 177 Hillside Avenue, White Plains, NY 10607
• Mt. Kisco Municipal Building, 104 Main Street, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549 (New Location)
• Mt. Pleasant Community Center, 125 Lozza Drive, Valhalla, NY 10595
• Joseph G. Caputo Community Center, 95 Broadway, Ossining, NY 10562
• Pound Ridge Town House, 179 Westchester Avenue, Pound Ridge, NY 10576
• Somers Town House, 335 Route 202, Somers, NY 10589
• Jefferson Village Annex, 3500 Hill Boulevard, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
• Yorktown Cultural Center, 1974 Commerce Street, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
• Peekskill Nutrition Center – Neighborhood Center, 4 Nelson Avenue, Peekskill, NY 10566
• Peekskill Lincoln Depot Museum, 10 S. Water Street, Peekskill, NY 10566

Not sure what congressional district you're now in? The League of Women Voters has your back. Enter your address to find your polling place, create your personalized voters' guide and find everything you need to vote.

The winner of the August Democratic primary will face the winner of a five-way Republican primary and of a two-way Conservative Party primary on the ballot in November. SEE: August Primary Preview: 5 Republicans Face Off For 17th District