Lawler Will Seek Re-election to House, Forgoing Run for N.Y. Governor

Representative Mike Lawler, Republican of New York, plans to seek re-election in his crucial Hudson Valley swing seat next year rather than run for governor, he told The New York Times on Wednesday.

Mr. Lawler had been openly exploring a campaign against Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, for months. Many Republicans viewed the congressman, who has consistently won in a Democratic-leaning district, as their most viable candidate in a left-leaning state.

But with Republicans preparing to defend a minuscule House majority, he was under intense pressure from President Trump and congressional allies to run for re-election. The president made his views clear in a private meeting at the White House last week, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

“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,” Mr. Lawler said.

He called Ms. Hochul the “worst governor in America” and suggested he would still work to try to defeat her in 2026.

Mr. Lawler’s much-anticipated decision to forgo the governor’s race will help clear a path for Representative Elise Stefanik, a fellow New York Republican and close ally of Mr. Trump, who is positioning herself for a statewide run. Both Republicans had said in recent weeks they hoped to avoid a primary, and realistically Mr. Lawler would have struggled without Mr. Trump’s support.

Mr. Lawler, 38, had kept his plans, which have not been previously reported, under tight wraps. The congressman informed Speaker Mike Johnson of his decision only a day earlier and planned to discuss them on “Fox and Friends” later Wednesday morning.

Ms. Stefanik, 41, is not expected to make a final decision about her own run for governor for several months. Yet she has increased her travel around the state, posted strong fund-raising numbers and begun more directly attacking Ms. Hochul on state issues.

Mr. Trump had nominated Ms. Stefanik to be his ambassador to the United Nations, but he pulled back the nomination this spring to avoid creating a vacancy in the House at a time when he was trying to muscle his agenda through a closely divided chamber.

Bruce Blakeman, the Republican Nassau County executive, is also considering a campaign for governor, but he must first win re-election this fall.

Winning the governorship is no easy task in New York for Republicans, who are far outnumbered in the state by Democrats. Voters have not elected a Republican governor in two decades. Mr. Trump is also broadly unpopular here, and Ms. Stefanik’s alliance with him could prove a challenge if she runs.

Ms. Hochul’s poll numbers are not commanding, though. And Republicans came closer to defeating her in 2022 than in recent challenges to Democratic incumbents, buoying Republican hopes.

Mr. Lawler’s re-election fight is not likely to be easy, either. He is one of only three Republicans who currently represent districts won by former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. His district includes parts of suburban Westchester and Rockland Counties.

New York has repeatedly been central to the national House battleground in recent election cycles, and 2026 may be no exception.

Seven Democrats have already entered the race to try to beat Mr. Lawler, including an army veteran, local officials, a former news broadcaster and others. Sean Patrick Maloney, the former senior House Democrat unseated by Mr. Lawler in 2022, is also said to be considering a comeback campaign.

Together, the Democratic candidates have already raised millions of dollars. National Democratic groups consider the district, New York’s 17th, one of their top targets next year, and are earmarking millions of dollars to back the party’s eventual nominee.

While Mr. Lawler is ready to showcase his work in substantially raising the state and local tax deduction, or SALT, cap, a long-sought bipartisan goal of suburban New Yorkers, he may face headwinds from Democratic voters furious at many of Mr. Trump’s second-term policies.

Hundreds of people angrily confronted Mr. Lawler in tense town hall meetings this spring. And Democrats have already begun attacking him for his support for major legislation that cut taxes as well as nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid. It also included reductions to food assistance for the poor and other government aid.

Still, Mr. Lawler has succeeded in past races, even when Democrats believed they had him beat. He is an agile campaigner, media savvy and unafraid to confront his critics and has tried to distance himself from his party’s right wing.

“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,” he said.