Tom and Jessica Gorman, whose 18-year-old daughter Sheridan was murdered by an illegal immigrant, confronted Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Cait Conley during a televised debate Monday night, demanding to know where each candidate stands on New York’s sanctuary law.
The debate, broadcast on News 12, covered the race for the 17th Congressional District seat in the lower Hudson Valley, which spans Rockland, Putnam, and parts of Westchester and Dutchess counties. Sheridan Gorman, a freshman at Loyola University Chicago, was shot and killed on March 19 while walking with friends along Lake Michigan. The man charged in her death, Jose Medina, is an undocumented Venezuelan migrant who had prior encounters with law enforcement but was released before the shooting.
Calling into the debate, Tom Gorman asked Lawler and Conley whether they would support federal legislation overriding state sanctuary laws like the one Gov. Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats passed earlier this year. That law prohibits local police from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on detaining people in the country illegally.
As his wife Jessica fought back tears, Conley called Sheridan’s murder “inexcusable” but would not say whether she’d support scrapping New York’s sanctuary law.
“Government failed her and for that we have to make sure that that doesn’t happen again,” Conley said, noting her own background as an Army veteran and military police officer. “The safety and security of our families is something I will be unwavering in.”
Conley’s campaign website states she supports ending so-called 287(g) agreements that let local police assist ICE with immigration enforcement — effectively backing New York’s sanctuary law. She said she believes “border security is national security” and that immigration enforcement matters for fighting violent crime, terrorism, trafficking and gang violence, but criticized the Trump administration’s approach, saying ICE is rounding up “people like grandmas and nurses and people in our communities” instead of targeting criminals.
Lawler didn’t let the non-answer slide.
“Well, Jess and Tom, what you didn’t hear from Cait was an answer to your question. She does support Kathy Hochul’s new law,” Lawler said. “She would not support federal legislation to end sanctuary policies. Let me be very clear, I stand with you. I am against Kathy Hochul’s disastrous new law and I support any legislation that will end sanctuary jurisdictions in this country.”
The two did find common ground elsewhere. Both candidates pledged support for Haitian migrants who lost temporary protected status after Trump revoked it in July, though Conley blamed Lawler for failing to stop the move. Both also called for scrapping the $9 congestion toll to enter Manhattan’s business district, with Conley breaking from fellow Democrat Hochul, who has championed the toll.
On other issues, the two clashed sharply. Conley said New York’s marijuana legalization law has helped the state; Lawler said it’s done damage. Lawler touted his role in lifting the cap on state and local tax deductions, which he said has saved taxpayers thousands of dollars. Conley attacked Lawler’s votes for Trump-backed budget bills that cut Medicaid and social service spending, called Trump’s tariffs “reckless,” and said she’d raise payroll taxes on Americans earning more than $400,000 to shore up Social Security.
Both candidates voiced strong support for Israel and continued military funding, though the exchange turned personal when Lawler asked Conley, “do you denounce [Mayor] Zohran Mamdani?” while criticizing what he called the Democratic Party’s “antisemitic base.” Conley fired back: “Do you denounce Donald Trump for the harm he’s caused to families in the Hudson Valley?”
Energy policy divided them as well. Conley backed renewable solar and wind projects scaled back under Trump, while Lawler pushed to revive the Indian Point nuclear plant and lift New York’s ban on gas extraction to boost supply and cut utility costs. Conley supports Hochul’s one-year moratorium on new AI data center construction in the state; Lawler opposes it. Each accused the other of lying and distorting positions, with Conley repeatedly branding Lawler a “lifelong political operative.”
The hour-long debate comes as Lawler and Conley run neck-and-neck in a district considered one of the most competitive in the country — a race that could help decide which party controls the House next year. A large share of households in the district have members who serve as police officers, firefighters or veterans, and roughly 20% of voters are Jewish.
Lawler, a former state assemblyman and longtime GOP figure, is seeking a third term. Conley, an Army veteran and West Point graduate who worked at the Department of Homeland Security under the Biden administration, is making her first run for office after winning a five-way Democratic primary.
