BRIRCLIFF MANOR - In Response to Westchester Democratic Party Insiders attempting to hand-pick the Democratic nominee to defeat Mike Lawler, Peter Chatzky, Democratic Congressional Candidate for NY-17 said:  "The Party needs to win back disenfranchised Democratic voters and those who  have declared themselves Independents or unaffiliated. Having party insiders tip the scale of a primary by deciding who can and cannot participate in a forum is bad strategy. Historically, the party’s heavy hand and involvement in primaries, including picking favorites prematurely, has led us to lose winnable races. Democrats need to throw out the old playbook written by party elites and let the voters decide who can best represent them in Congress.  I plan to bring my campaign directly to the voters and always prioritize their voices over party elites. In doing so, I hope to earn the privilege to represent our District as the race continues.”