Democrats won two closely watched House contests in the New York–New Jersey area on Tuesday, ABC7 New York reported, as Westchester County officials prepared to count thousands of ballots that could not be scanned on Election Day¹.

Cait Conley, an Army veteran and former national security official, defeated Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in New York’s 17th Congressional District after Lawler conceded Tuesday night, WABC said¹. Lawler had held the seat since 2023 and was seeking a third term¹.

In New Jersey’s 7th District, WABC said Rebecca Bennett was projected to defeat Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who flipped the seat from Democratic control in 2022¹. Bennett served 15 years in the Navy as a helicopter and test pilot, according to the station¹.

Bennett told supporters it was an honor of a lifetime to earn the district’s trust, WABC reported¹. She later said Kean congratulated her by phone and said he was committed to a peaceful transition¹.

The results were reported as Westchester officials counted ballots after a programming error stopped voting machines from scanning at most polling places, WABC said¹. Voters were told to put ballots in orange emergency bags; officials said the votes remained secure¹.

Video showed police escorting thousands of ballots to the Westchester County Board of Elections, where counting was scheduled to begin Wednesday morning, according to WABC¹. Certified statewide and district totals were not in the report we read¹.

Sources

1. ABC7 New YorkDelayed Westchester ballots counted as Conley, Bennett win5:44 AM

Read the original at ABC7 New York ↗