Human Rights Campaign PAC Endorses Pro-Equality Champion Cait Conley for U.S. House

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) PAC — the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization — proudly endorsed Cait Conley for U.S. House in New York’s 17th District. A West Point graduate, Hudson Valley native, and decorated combat veteran who served under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Conley is a barrier-breaking LGBTQ+ public servant who champions equality and freedom. She faces Republican incumbent Mike Lawler in one of the most consequential House races in the country – a race HRC is committed to winning this November.

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson released the following statement:

“Cait Conley has spent her life serving our nation and now she’s ready to fight for every New Yorker in the 17th District in Congress. As a decorated combat veteran and member of the LGBTQ+ community who broke barriers throughout her military career, Cait knows what it means to show up for people who need you. She is committed to standing up for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers at a moment when our rights, our health care, and our safety are under assault. Mike Lawler has voted with the extremists targeting our community again and again. NY-17 deserves a representative who will work every day for all families. That representative is Cait Conley.”

Cait Conley released the following statement:

“I’m honored to have the support of the Human Rights Campaign — the nation's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality. As a lesbian who served under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ for the first part of my military career, the fight for equality for all is incredibly important to me. While I’m proud of how far we’ve come as a nation, I know we still have a long way to go. As the Trump administration continues to target LGBTQ+ Americans in an attempt to divide us, I’m grateful for the leadership of organizations like the Human Rights Campaign that are on the frontlines of equality for everyone.”

Cait Conley’s Record Championing LGBTQ+ Equality: 

• Supports the Equality Act, which would provide federal non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Americans in housing, employment, education, and public accommodations. 
• Committed to protecting access to health care for LGBTQ+ people, including transgender youth and people living with HIV. 
• Opposes anti-LGBTQ+ legislation targeting transgender students, families, and communities. 
• Supports restoring civil rights enforcement across federal agencies, including the EEOC and the Department of Education. 
• A barrier-breaking public servant who became one of the first women officers to serve on the tactical side of a Special Operations unit and has dedicated her career to protecting every American.

Mike Lawler’s Anti-Equality Record: 

• Voted for the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, which includes sweeping Medicaid cuts that threaten coverage for people living with HIV and LGBTQ+ Americans who depend on the program. 
• Voted to ban Medicaid coverage for health care for transgender youth (Do No Harm in Medicaid Act, December 2025)
• Voted to ban transgender athletes from school sports (Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, January 2025). 
• Voted to prohibit service members and their families from accessing transition-related health care (The Advocate, October 2025). 
• Voted to ban schools from talking about transgender people (Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, May 2026)
• Received a score of only 30 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Congressional Scorecard during his first term in the 118th Congress. 

HRC’s Commitment to New York  

Equality Voters, including the more than five million in New York, are a voting bloc of demographically and geographically diverse Americans who are united by the advancement of LGBTQ+ equality. Equality Voters are younger, more racially diverse, and more female than the general electorate, they recognize and trust the HRC brand.

HRC PAC has made significant on-the-ground investments in New York, working to elect pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot. NY-17 is one of eight battleground House districts targeted by HRC’s $15 million midterm program, and HRC will mobilize its members and supporters across Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and Dutchess counties to elect Cait Conley this fall. 

Paid for by Human Rights Campaign PAC, www.hrc.org, and authorized by Cait Conley for Congress.