By Dan Murphy
President Donald Trump is coming to Rockland County this week and waiting to greet him will be Westchester Congressman Mike Lawler. Lawler has represented mid-northern Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Dutchess counties since 2022. Most believe that this upcoming reelection will be his toughest race yet.
One thing that Lawler has to his credit is his willingness to debate and engage with those who may not agree with him. This week, Lawler appeared on Two-Way with Mark Halperin. “The fact is if the president of the United States wants to come to your district, you welcome the President of the United States. This is a district that Joe Biden won by 10 points back in 2020. Kamala Harris won by half a point in 2024.
Rockland County, where I represent, is the county that moved the furthest to the right in the country in 2024 and President Trump won Rockland County for the first time as a Republican in over two decades. Lifting the cap on SALT (State and Local taxes) had the single biggest impact on my district than just about anywhere else in the country, and my constituents were seeing refunds of anywhere from 5,000 to 20,000 as a result of the tax bill. So, we’re going to talk extensively about salt.
“The president has fulfilled his commitment to secure the border. We’ve had nearly a year straight of net-zero illegal entry into the country. My district was directly impacted by Joe Biden’s reckless policies, including the fact that Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old student who was killed at Loyola University Chicago just two months ago, is from my district. Her family lives in my district.”
“50% of households in my district have a cop, a firefighter, and a veteran living in the household. I have the largest Jewish population of any district in the country. What’s happening in the Middle East matters.
“I’m happy to welcome the President, and, as I’ve always done as a member of Congress, when I agree with the President, I say it. When I disagree with him, I say it. I’m not afraid to do that, and the president certainly respects that. I’m happy to welcome them here.
“The media narrative that he’s deeply unpopular or that people don’t like him or don’t want to come hear him is just not true. I know the people in my district very well. The fact is, the President has always hovered around 45% approval. and that hasn’t changed,” said Lawler, who was instrumental in getting the SALT cap lifted. Speaker Johnson needed every republican vote to pass the budget and Lawler held out and won.
“The Democrats are going to pour in money into this race, and it will be about a $60 Million election, among the most expensive in the country. I’m proud of my record. I have a very good record to run on. I’ve delivered for my district significantly during my three plus years in Congress.
“But the fact is that any of the candidates that come out of it are going to be radically extreme. I mean their whole objective is I hate Trump. and that’s not an answer or a solution.
“Part of the reason I’ve been labeled the most effective member of Congress is because I can work across the aisle. My best friend in Congress is a Democrat, Josh Godheimer. We work together all the time on issues. I’ve passed numerous pieces of legislation under a Democrat Nobody’s ever going to outwork me. So, frankly, I don’t care who comes out of their primary. We’re going to win in November.
“Here’s my fundamental view on this stuff. If the issue of Donald Trump is the biggest issue driving a voter, their hatred of Donald Trump, they’re never voting for me,” said Lawler.
A recent Politico story about the race in NY-17 included quotes from Democratic leaders in the district who said that “you can’t just run against Trump.
“That’s the danger,” Jennifer Colamonico, chair of the Putnam County Democratic Committee, said of the Republican president. “We absolutely cannot run on (Trump).” It’s not enough to just run against Donald Trump,” she said. “You have to tell people what you’re for and what you’ll do for them. We need to have an agenda.”
“Our candidates should not focus solely on why Trump is an awful leader for this country, but on what we will do when we take back the reins of power,” Westchester County Democratic Committee Chair Suzanne Berger said. “The fact that Trump is terrible gets into the conversation, but it should not be 100% of the conversation.”
In a review of Lawler’s two election victories, the results are clear on one matter that I didn’t consider. Mike Lawler is more popular in NY-17 than Donald Trump. When Trump narrowly lost to Harris in NY-17 in 2024, Lawler won by five. He also won in 2022, when Joe Biden was President and when Biden beat Trump by 10 in NY-17 in 2020.
Several democrats I spoke to in NY-17 acknowledge that Republican Congressman Mike Lawler will be tough to beat in November. “I think that Lawler, even though I voted against him twice, is the best that the NY GOP has to offer,” said one NY-17 Dem.
Another fact from Lawler. Almost half of the district has a police officer, firefighter, EMT, or veteran living in the household.