New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler announced Wednesday that he will not run for New York governor, choosing instead to run for reelection and avoid a potentially tense primary against a fellow member of Congress.
“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,” he told The New York Times.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, who has also been exploring a run for governor, praised Lawler and said she would make her own decision after this year’s elections.
“I am grateful for the outpouring of support across our great state from Republicans, Independents, and Democrats who know it is our last best chance to Save New York,” she posted on X after Lawler’s announcement.
President Donald Trump endorsed Lawler for reelection to his seat in Congress in a move that many saw as a simultaneous endorsement for Stefanik to become the Republican gubernatorial nominee. The president has not endorsed Stefanik for reelection to her Congressional seat, further prompting assumptions that he is likely to throw his weight behind her for governor.
But Trump and Stefanik have a complicated history. Trump pulled Stefanik’s nomination to become the United States ambassador to the United Nations in March on the grounds that he asked her “to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts” and other policy priorities. Before leaving Congress due to her nomination, Stefanik was the fourth-ranking Republican and the highest-ranking woman in the party. After her return to Congress when the president withdrew her nomination, House Speaker Mike Johnson reappointed her to a leadership role, but she’s no longer among the top ranks of the GOP.
Still, Stefanik has repeatedly curried favor with Trump, with the president calling her one of his “biggest allies.” Stefanik also met with Trump on multiple occasions as Congress worked on its budget reconciliation bill.
Among a group of blue-state Republicans vying for a larger state and local tax deduction in the package, Stefanik was most aligned with the president on the specifics of the deal. Lawler and Trump, meanwhile, sparred over the same negotiations, with the president pushing the New York Republican to give in to a softer deal while Lawler refused to back down.
But Lawler has also attempted to paint himself as an ally to the president — something necessary for a primary, but also potentially difficult in a reelection campaign for a seat that Cook Political Report rates as competitive.
“The only thing more embarrassing than Lawler’s failed fantasy campaign for governor is the brutal loss he’s about to face at home,” DCCC spokesperson Riya Vashi said in a statement after Lawler’s decision.
“I’m proud to run for reelection on my record and win next November and keep the House Republican majority,” Lawler told “Fox and Friends” Wednesday morning.
He also told NOTUS in May that he’s completely aligned with the president on policy issues.
“I think obviously, the same issues that mattered in November continue to be a focus for folks, whether it’s the border and the deportation of criminal aliens or the economy, and that’s certainly what I’ve continued to focus on,” he said.
And though Lawler eventually voted “yes” on the reconciliation package that slashes Medicaid, he told NOTUS in May that he’s aligned with the president on “protecting Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid.”
SALT, health policy and other reconciliation policies are now likely to become central for Lawler’s reelection campaign. Multiple Democrats have already launched campaigns for his seat, which House Democrats’ campaign arm is eyeing as a pickup opportunity.