Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) announced on Wednesday that he won’t be entering New York’s gubernatorial race, opting to run for reelection in the House instead.
Lawler told the New York Times that he believed he was the best candidate to take on the “worst governor in America,” Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), but that he would instead run for reelection in his Democratic-leaning district.
“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 re-election to the House and continue the important work I’ve been doing over the past two and a half years,” Lawler said.
He elaborated on his position in an appearance on Fox News’s Fox and Friends.
“After months of deliberating over this, and really working through it, I’ve decided the right thing to do for me and my family and my district is to run for reelection. My seat was determinative of control of the House back in 2022 and again in 2024. I’m one of three Republicans that won a seat that Kamala Harris also won,” he said, boasting of his accomplishments as representative.
Brian Kilmeade noted President Donald Trump was “happy” about the decision.
New York State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs mocked Lawler after the announcement, claiming Trump forced him into not running.
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“Mike Lawler caving to Donald Trump before his campaign even starts proves he’s too weak to take on Governor Hochul — and he knows it,” he said. “New Yorkers have seen the real Lawler: the one who voted to gut Medicaid, defund Planned Parenthood, and sell out his district to Trump. They’ve rejected that agenda, and they’ll do it again no matter where his name shows up on the ballot.”
Lawler’s decision not to run clears the way for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to run in 2026, the clear Republican front-runner in the blue bastion.
Following Lawler’s announcement, Stefanik said she would make her final decision about running following the November elections.
“Mike Lawler is a great, effective, and hardworking Representative for New York’s 17th Congressional District and is committed to protecting the House Republican Majority,” she said. “As I have previously stated, I am focused on supporting strong Republican local and county candidates on the ballot this November to lay the groundwork with a strong team for next year. I will make a final decision and announcement after this year’s November election which we are all focused on.”
In a July 1 Siena College poll, she was the most favored Republican to run but didn’t perform as well against Hochul. Any Republican run will be a long shot, with the poll finding Hochul leading Stefanik by 23 points, 47% to 24%.
Ross O’Keefe contributed to this report.