Gretchen Whitmer's sister running for Congress

Democratic businesswoman Liz Gereghty, the sister of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, announced Tuesday she is running for a New York congressional seat that narrowly flipped to Republican control last year and is expected to be one of the country’s most competitive contests in 2024.

Gereghty is seeking the seat once held by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who led his party’s effort to hold control of Congress in 2022 as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee but lost his own race to Republican Mike Lawler, a state Assemblyman. Lawler won by about 1,800 votes, or less than 1 percentage point.

The 17th Congressional District, located in New York City’s northern suburbs, was one of four New York House seats that Republicans flipped in what was otherwise a better-than-expected midterm for Democrats. The victories helped the GOP win a narrow House majority, and the district will be a top target for Democrats as they try to regain control of the chamber next year.

Gereghty started her own business and serves on the local school board.

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Her sister, Whitmer, won her second term as Michigan governor last year. Whitmer, a Democrat, was among the women mentioned as a possible running mate for Biden in 2020.