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Democratic Candidate Drops Out


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Six challengers remain to take on Lawler
One of the seven declared candidates to challenge Rep. Mike Lawler has ended his campaign.
John Sullivan, a former FBI official who lives in Rockland County, said on Instagram on Jan. 30 that he is no longer in the race for the Democratic nomination to oppose Lawler, the Republican incumbent who represents District 17, which includes Philipstown.
Those still seeking the Democratic nomination are John Cappello, a Rockland native and former defense attaché at the U.S. embassies in Israel and Serbia; Peter Chatzky, a tech company founder and village trustee in Briarcliff Manor; Cait Conley, a West Point graduate from Orange County and former director of counterterrorism for the National Security Council; Beth Davidson, a Rockland County legislator; Effie Phillips-Staley, a Tarrytown trustee who is a nonprofit executive; and Mike Sacks, a lawyer and former TV journalist from Westchester.
Jessica Reinmann, who founded the nonprofit 914Cares in Westchester County, dropped out in November. Rep. Pat Ryan, whose district includes Beacon, has endorsed Conley.

Among the candidates, Chatzky reported having $5.5 million in campaign funds as of Dec. 31, although he has loaned his committee $5.75 million. Conley had $1.2 million and Davidson $738,000. The other three candidates reported having less than $30,000 each on hand.
To appear on the June 23 primary ballot, candidates must submit at least 1,250 signatures of registered voters in the district on a nominating petition by April 6.
House District 18
Ryan, a Democrat, has one challenger so far. Sharanjit Thind registered with the Federal Elections Commission last fall to run as a Republican for the District 18 seat. In his most recent campaign finance filing, through Dec. 31, he said he had not raised or spent more than $5,000. Ryan reported having $2.5 million.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Thind is the founder and CEO of NuWay Media Group, a Manhattan-based marketing firm, and was a Nassau County human rights commissioner from 2012 to 2018. He grew up in a Sikh family in Kapurthala, Punjab, India, and holds an MBA and a postgraduate diploma in journalism.
Putnam County
Kevin Byrne, a former state legislator, is completing his first, 4-year term as county executive after running unopposed in 2022. On Jan. 22, Brett Yarris, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully in November for a seat on the county Legislature, filed with the state Board of Elections to challenge Byrne.
In a statement, Yarris said that his filing is "simply an exploratory committee and an official decision has not yet been made" about whether he will run.
Yarris campaigned last year to represent District 5, which includes the hamlet of Carmel and part of Lake Carmel, but lost to Jake D'Angelo, who won 53 percent of the vote. D'Angelo had earlier defeated incumbent Greg Ellner in the Republican primary with 63 percent of the vote.
According to his campaign website for the Legislature seat, Yarris is the founder and CEO of The Behavior Movement, a special-needs fitness company, and Football Behavior, an analytics platform. He also serves as vice chair and treasurer of the Putnam County Soil & Water Conservation District board.
Byrne has about $119,000 on hand, according to a campaign finance report filed with the state.
State Senate
Two Democrats, Lisa Kaul and Evan Menist, have filed to challenge Republican incumbent Rob Rolison, who is seeking a third term in the 39th District, which includes Beacon and Philipstown. If necessary, a primary vote would be held on June 23. Ryan has endorsed Kaul. The challengers each had about $22,000 in campaign funds as of Dec. 31, and Rolison reported $15,000.
State Assembly
No one has filed with the Board of Elections to challenge Dana Levenberg, whose district includes Philipstown, or Jonathan Jacobson, whose district includes Beacon. Both are Democrats.
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Highlands Current Audio StoriesBy Highlands Current