Rep. Mike Lawler Rules Out Run for NY Governor, Will Seek Reelection

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) has announced he will seek reelection and will not challenge New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, in 2026.

The Republican represents a suburban area of New York City in District 17, and has been viewed as a strong potential challenger to Hochul. However, another House Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), has also reportedly been considering a gubernatorial run.

Lawler made the announcement in a July 23 post on X, saying that it was the “greatest honor” of his life to serve the Hudson Valley, and while he thinks Hochul “must be defeated,” he would not be the one taking her on.

“Under Kathy Hochul, New York has the highest taxes, the worst business climate, and leads the nation in outmigration,” Lawler said, adding that she “must be defeated in 2026.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to Hochul’s office for a comment.

Lawler is serving his second term in Congress in an area that has been seen as a swing district for recent elections.

During a July 23 interview on “Fox and Friends,” the lawmaker said that running for reelection to the House was “the right thing to do for me and my family and my district.”

“Keeping the House majority is critical if we are going to continue to move this economy in the right direction,” he said, noting that he is one of just a few Republicans who won a House seat in an area that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in the presidential election last year.

The New York Republican was endorsed for reelection to the House by President Donald Trump in May.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump called him “a Strong Champion and Highly Effective Representative.”

Hochul took the governor’s position in 2021, after former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned. She previously served as the lieutenant governor and was elected for a full gubernatorial term in 2022.

She already faces a 2026 primary challenge from her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado. The two have been in a simmering feud since earlier this year.

The lieutenant governor was appointed by Hochul in 2022 after her previous lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin, was indicted for bribery and other offenses early in 2022.

When Delgado announced in February of this year that he would not run alongside Hochul for the upcoming term, he said that New Yorkers deserve “more leaders in government willing to hold themselves accountable to the people—and only to the people.”

Hochul’s office responded, saying, “Today, Antonio Delgado finally said out loud what has been obvious for quite some time: he is simply not interested in doing the job,” but that they wished “him the best in his future endeavors.”