GOP Rep. Mike Lawler Holds onto NY US House Seat Despite Varied Outcomes for Other NY Republicans
In a closely watched race, a Republican who faced recent controversy emerged victorious over a Democratic challenger who previously served the same district from 2021 to 2023.
The upstate District 17 covers a large area of Westchester County and Hudson Valley, between the Democratic strongholds of Albany and New York City.
At the end of the night, Lawler secured 52.5 percent of the vote, tallying 191,681 votes, while Jones garnered 45.5 percent with 166,331 votes.
During his previous term in Congress, Jones took controversial stances, including a push to have former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani disbarred for his alleged involvement in the events of January 6, 2021. He also authored a Washington Post piece alleging that a “far-right majority” on the U.S. Supreme Court had allowed white supremacists to bypass the Voting Rights Act, urging drastic responses.
Lawler, challenging in a district near progressive cities in New York, had to address fallout in October when images surfaced of him in blackface as a Michael Jackson impersonator from 2006. Lawler, then a 20-year-old college undergraduate, apologized for any offense caused and clarified that his actions were meant to celebrate his idol, rather than mock.
In the race for the House of Representatives seat in District 17, Lawler prevailed against the odds in a predominantly blue state like New York, where Vice President Kamala Harris secured 55.8 percent of votes on election night.
The national spotlight shone on the District 17 competition and other New York races due to the tight balance in the House of Representatives, with 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats.
Following Lawler’s victory and other Republican successes in New York and across the nation, the GOP stands a chance of maintaining a majority in the House, pending the ongoing vote counts in many districts and the final tally.
New York saw mixed outcomes for Republican candidates. In the First Congressional District on Long Island, Rep. Nick LaLota fended off a challenge from Democrat John Avlon, a former speechwriter for ex-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
In the Third Congressional District embracing Nassau County, incumbent Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi triumphed over Republican rival Mike LiPetri. The Fourth Congressional District also leaned Democratic with challenger Laura Gillen defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito.
In another notable race, Democrat Josh Riley unseated Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro in upstate New York’s 19th District after an unsuccessful bid for the same seat in 2022.
Further upstate in the 22nd District, another flip occurred as Democrat John Mannion defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Brandon Williams.
