Forgoing his own potential New York gubernatorial bid, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., running for reelection in the House clears the way for Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to run for governor.
Lawler had called New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul the "worst governor in America," but he will instead try to help House Republicans remain in the majority during the midterms, holding a swing-seat in deep-blue New York in what could be one of the priciest 2026 House races.
"While I fundamentally believe I am best positioned to take on Kathy Hochul and offer New Yorkers a real choice for governor, I have made the decision to run for reelection to the House and continue the important work I've been doing over the past 2½ years," Lawler told The New York Times.
"With more work to do, I look forward to continuing to fight for my district and the people who elected me to represent them in Washington."
Lawler, 38, is the sitting House member in a New York swing district of the Hudson Valley region, giving him the political cachet to shock the Democrat-stranglehold in a state-wide race, but Stefanik is a notable favorite of President Donald Trump and she dropped a bid to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for a higher calling stateside.
Stefanik, 41, has said she will make the "final decision and announcement" on running for governor after November elections this year, but she called Lawler a "great, effective, and hardworking" House GOP member.
New York has not elected a Republican governor in two decades and generally losing a major election can be a stain on a politician's record. Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., fell short in his gubernatorial bid, leaving the House behind, but is now Trump's Environmental Protection Agency administrator.
Lawler's 17th Congressional District seat is one of the top Democrat targets, making it one of the locations big Democrat dollars will be pumped into in attempt to flip a seat and close the gap on the narrow GOP majority.
Lawler and other vulnerable blue state Republicans were instrumental in getting the State and Local Tax cap raised in the One Big Beautiful Bill, but Democrat messaging will not give him any credit for that, instead attacking him for ultimately voting for the OBBB and $9 billion rescissions package.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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