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An eye-watering $308 million was pumped into New York State congressional races during the 2026 midterm campaign – including some $64 million spent in the Empire State’s most closely watched battleground.
The fight for the suburban 17th Congressional District in New York’s Hudson Valley brought in $64 million between a heated Democratic Party primary and the general election, including spending by the campaigns and political action committee.
About $22 million of that total was spent during the Democratic primary that saw military veteran and eventual election winner Cait Conley beat out Beth Davidson and Peter Chatzky, according to campaign finance records. Outside groups meanwhile pumped $30 million into the swing district, which includes parts of Westchester and Dutchess counties as well as Rockland and Putnam counties, according to filings.
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On Tuesday, Conley unseated two-term incumbent Rep. Mike Lawler, who had won reelection in 2024 even as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris carried the 17th.
The spending tips the race well over the record-breaking $38.4 spent in the 19th Congressional District in 2024, at the time the most expensive general election race on record.
Meanwhile, several high-profile Big Apple primaries this year were so hard fought as to find themselves towards the top of the list, including the Manhattan slugfest replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler in his 12th District seat.
The Democrats vying in that race and the groups backing them spent $56 million, records showed. The majority of that – $43 million – was spent by super PAC’s like Jobs and Democracy PAC and Think Big.
Those groups were heavily funded by artificial intelligence firms and their leaders, which spent heavily in the June primary as anxiety over the new tech was front-of-mind for Dem voters. Ultimately, Democrat Micah Lasher won the primary and general election.
The race to succeed North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik in the 21st District was the third most expensive overall covering both a bitter primary between eventual winner Anthony Constantino and GOP Assemblyman Robert Smullen.
Constantino carried what turned out to be a nail biter race against Democratic dairy farmer Blake Gendebien, despite Stefanik having carried the district by more than 20 points the last two cycles.
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While the Dem-aligned House Majority PAC made a seven-figure ad buy the week before Election Day, Constantino, an Amsterdam-based CEO of a sticker and decal manufacturing business, pumped $17 million of his own fortune into the race.
Democratic socialist superstar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not have a competitive reelection race for her 14th congressional district seat but there was still $26 million pumped into the election, making it the fourth most expensive House race in the Empire State.
AOC, who is openly considering bids for president or Senate in 2028, had $18 million on hand as of mid October.
In the fifth spot was the Queens and Nassau County showdown between Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and former Assemblyman Mike LiPetri at $20 million in New York’s 3rd congressional district, records showed.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who like AOC did not have any competitive challenge, spent $19 million, according to filings.
Lefty democratic socialist insurgent Darializa Aviles-Chevalier’s primary defeat of Rep. Adriano Espaillat in District 13 became the seventh most expensive race, with some $15.4 million spent, records showed.