Gov. Whitmer's sister, Liz Gereghty, drops congressional bid in New York

Liz Gereghty, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's younger sister, on Wednesday suspended her campaign for a New York State congressional seat and endorsed former U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones.

"Uniting our party and focusing our resources on taking back the House is critical to fighting back against the radical extremism plaguing our politics," she said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "In that spirit, I endorse Mondaire Jones' campaign for Congress."

Gereghty, a small business owner and local school board member in Westchester County north of New York City, announced her campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 17th Congressional District in May.

The district is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican who last year narrowly defeated U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who had run the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee tasked with winning House seats nationwide. Jones, who lost a race in a neighboring district, has said he is running in the 17th District next year.

The district is considered a key target for Democrats next year.

Gereghty grew up in Michigan but has lived in New York for some three decades.

Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Liz Gereghty, sister of Gov. Whitmer, drops New York congressional bid