Nyack, NY – Cancer survivors and advocates in New York’s 17th Congressional District are meeting with both candidates in this year’s congressional race as part of an effort to make cancer research, prevention and access to health care issues in the 2026 election.
Local cancer survivors and volunteers with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, known as ACS CAN, met with Democratic congressional candidate Cait Conley on Tuesday, Aug. 11, to discuss cancer-related issues affecting residents of the Hudson Valley. The organization said the same advocates are scheduled to meet with Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 10:15 a.m. at the Nyack Library, 59 S. Broadway.
Conley and Lawler are competing to represent New York’s 17th Congressional District. Conley won the Democratic primary in June, while Lawler, the incumbent, was unopposed for the Republican nomination. The district includes Rockland and Putnam counties and portions of Westchester and Dutchess counties.
The meetings are being organized as part of ACS CAN’s Cancer Votes program, a nationwide voter education effort that seeks to bring cancer-related public policy issues to the attention of candidates and voters.
According to ACS CAN, the organization sent a “Cancer Promise” to both Conley and Lawler asking them to state their support for several policy priorities. Those include federal funding for cancer research, access to affordable and comprehensive health coverage, cancer prevention services and programs aimed at preventing tobacco use and helping people quit.
The organization describes itself as nonpartisan and does not endorse, oppose or contribute to political candidates or parties. Rather than advocating for a particular candidate in the NY-17 race, ACS CAN said its goal is to encourage candidates to explain how they would address cancer-related issues if elected to Congress.
The Aug. 18 meeting with Lawler will bring together the congressman, local cancer survivors and ACS CAN advocates for what organizers are calling a “Cancer Coffee Chat.” Participants are expected to discuss the impact of cancer in New York and federal policies that could help prevent the disease, improve treatment and reduce its financial and health burden.
ACS CAN cited the scale of cancer diagnoses and deaths as a reason for bringing the issue directly to candidates. According to figures included in the organization’s media advisory, approximately one in three Americans is expected to be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. The organization estimates that about 125,000 New Yorkers will be diagnosed with cancer this year and approximately 31,000 people in the state will die from the disease.
Nationally, ACS CAN said approximately 2 million Americans are expected to receive a cancer diagnosis this year, with more than 1,600 people dying from cancer each day.
The organization argues that decisions made by elected officials can influence cancer prevention, research and treatment through government funding, health insurance policies and public health programs. Its Cancer Votes initiative encourages voters to learn where candidates stand on those issues before casting their ballots.
Tuesday’s upcoming discussion with Lawler will follow the group’s meeting with Conley one week earlier, giving advocates an opportunity to raise similar concerns with both major-party candidates in the NY-17 general election.
The Aug. 18 event is scheduled to begin at 10:15 a.m. at the Nyack Library. Additional information about ACS CAN’s voter education initiative is available through Cancer Votes
