{"id":3270,"date":"2025-07-23T15:19:01","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T19:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multi.nycnewsnetwork.com\/nycpolitics\/mike-lawler-backs-out-of-ny-governors-race-eyes-reelection-in-swing-house-seat\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T15:19:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T19:19:01","slug":"mike-lawler-backs-out-of-ny-governors-race-eyes-reelection-in-swing-house-seat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/nycpolitics\/mike-lawler-backs-out-of-ny-governors-race-eyes-reelection-in-swing-house-seat\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Lawler Backs Out of NY Governor\u2019s Race, Eyes Reelection in Swing House Seat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rep. Mike Lawler<\/b> is forgoing a high-profile bid for New York governor and will instead seek a third term in Congress, he confirmed Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lawler Bows Out of Governor\u2019s Race<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Hudson Valley Republican, whose seat is among the most hotly contested in the country, told Fox & Friends that while he believes <\/span>Gov. Kathy Hochul<\/b><\/a> is \u201cthe worst governor in America,\u201d he has decided that \u201cthe right thing to do for me and my family and my district is to run for reelection.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His decision, first reported by <\/span>The New York Times<\/span><\/a>, clears a path for <\/span>Rep. Elise Stefanik<\/b>, a close Trump ally, to likely claim the GOP nomination in 2026 without a primary challenge from Lawler. Stefanik praised Lawler as \u201ca great, effective and hardworking\u201d lawmaker and said she would decide on a gubernatorial run after the November elections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lawler, a moderate who has cultivated a reputation as a media-savvy and pragmatic figure, was once considered one of the Republicans\u2019 strongest prospects for statewide office. But recent polling showed Stefanik with a sizable edge over both Lawler and <\/span>Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakema<\/b>n in a hypothetical primary.<\/span><\/p>\n

GOP Priorities and Trump\u2019s Endorsement<\/span><\/h2>\n

Lawler\u2019s district, which <\/span>President Joe Biden<\/b> won narrowly in 2020, has become a top priority for Democrats as they seek to flip the House. At least seven Democrats are running to unseat him. Lawler emphasized the importance of defending the seat, saying, \u201cMy seat was determinative of control of the House back in 2022 and again in 2024.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

President Donald Trump <\/b>gave Lawler an early endorsement for reelection in May, calling him a \u201cTrue America First Patriot\u201d on Truth Social. Lawler downplayed suggestions that Trump influenced his decision not to run for governor, telling <\/span>POLITICO<\/span><\/a>, \u201cUltimately, my decision is going to be my decision.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Democrats Quickly Respond<\/span><\/h2>\n

Democrats wasted no time in framing Lawler\u2019s move as weakness. \u201cMike Lawler caving to Donald Trump before his campaign even starts proves he\u2019s too weak to take on Governor Hochul \u2014 and he knows it,\u201d said <\/span>State Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gov. Hochul also took a jab at Lawler, posting, \u201cThis is the same Mike Lawler who caved to Trump the minute he asked to rip away New Yorkers\u2019 health care.\u201d She added that he \u201cdoesn\u2019t have the spine to face me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hochul, who has middling approval ratings but strong financial backing, is sitting on $17.5 million in campaign funds. Meanwhile, Lawler enters his reelection race with a $2.2 million war chest and the full attention of both parties heading into 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rep. Mike Lawler is forgoing a high-profile bid for New York governor and will instead seek a third term in Congress, he confirmed Wednesday. Lawler Bows Out of Governor\u2019s Race […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-governor","category-local-nyc-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nMike Lawler Backs Out of NY Governor\u2019s Race, Eyes Reelection in Swing House Seat - NYC Political News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/nycpolitics\/mike-lawler-backs-out-of-ny-governors-race-eyes-reelection-in-swing-house-seat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mike Lawler Backs Out of NY Governor\u2019s Race, Eyes Reelection in Swing House Seat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rep. 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