Scrutinel— 2026 midterms

UpdatedOct 10, 2026, 11:27 AM EDT
To election day24 days
Simulations200,000

New York 17th District

Currently held by a Republican · incumbent running

Democrat
Cait Conley
76%
Republican
Mike Lawler
24%
ForecastLean D
Projected margin
D+4.6
80% range
R+3.7 to D+12.8
Partisan lean
D+3.3
Tipping-point chance
2.06%
Uncertainty multiplier
1.04×

The 80% range comes from 200,000 simulations in which this race’s error is correlated with every other race through the national, state and demographic layers.

How the estimate is built
Polls 31%Fundamentals 69%
Polling average
D+1.9
Fundamentals
D+6.1
Blended
D+4.8
Similar-race shift
−1.7
Poll–fundamentals gap
4.1 pts
PollingDR matchup
Polls in window
3
Distinct pollsters
3
Most recent
September 29, 2026
Democrat
48.0%
Republican
46.1%
Undecided / other
5.8%
Spread between polls
2.3 pts
Fundamentals
Partisan lean
D+3.3
Elasticity
1.14
Incumbency
−3.4
Candidate experience
0.0
Fundraising
+0.3
National environment
D+7.1
Expected margin
D+7.8
The polls behind this number3 most recent of 3 in the window
PollsterDatesSampleDRMargin
Emerson CollegeSeptember 29, 2026400 LV4846D+2
co/efficientJuly 22, 20261,292 LV4550R+5
FM3 ResearchDEMJuly 1, 2026509 LV5145D+6

Each poll is weighted by recency, the square root of its sample size and its pollster rating, then adjusted for that firm’s house effect, its sampled population and any partisan sponsorship — so the average above is not the mean of this column.

How it voted for presidenttwo-party
2024 margin
D+0.6
2020 margin
D+10.2
Shift 2020 → 2024
R+9.6
Votes cast, 2024
389,343

Presidential results reaggregated onto the 2026 district lines. This is where the seat’s partisan lean comes from, and it carries most of the forecast in a race nobody has polled.

Who lives hereCensus ACS
Population
585,311
Median age
51.1
Median household income
$121,700
Bachelor’s degree or higher
48%
White
66%
Black
9%
Hispanic
18%
Asian
6%

Used to find demographically similar districts, so a race with no polling can borrow the polling error of races that look like it.

Campaign fundraisingFEC filings to Invalid Date
CandidatePartyRaisedCash on hand
Michael Vincent LawlerREP$8.2M$4.8M
Cait ConleyDEM$4.3M$1.3M

Receipts across the cycle, from FEC bulk filings. The model uses the ratio between the two sides rather than either total, and weights it lightly — money follows a competitive race at least as much as it causes one.

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