Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is skipping a bid for governor and will instead run for re-election after President Donald Trump urged him to do just that, giving Republicans a battle-tested incumbent in one of the most competitive House races in the country — and clearing the way for one of Lawler's House colleagues to run for governor if she chooses.
Lawler made his announcement Wednesday morning in an interview with The New York Times and an appearance on Fox News, saying that “keeping the House majority is critical” and that his seat has been “determinative of control of the House” in recent elections.
“I’m proud to run for re-election on my record and win next November and keep the House Republican majority,” he said.
He said on social media that he's skipping a bid for governor even though "I fundamentally believe I am best positioned to take on" Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Republicans are protecting a narrow House majority in the 2026 midterms. Democrats would need to a net gain of just three seats to flip the House, and Lawler represents one of the three Republican districts Vice President Kamala Harris carried over Trump last year.
New York Republicans have been encouraged by their recent performances in statewide elections — Trump improved his vote share from 38% in 2020 to 43% last year, and Republican Lee Zeldin lost to Hochul by about 6 percentage points in the 2022 governor's race. It was the Republican Party' best performance in 20 years.
But Democrats haven't lost a governor's since 2002, and the party is already gearing up to use Trump and the House GOP's legislative agenda against Republicans next fall.
Lawler had been openly considering a bid for governor for some time, but Trump endorsed him for re-election in May, before he made his announcement.
The endorsement came weeks after it was reported that Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a Trump ally, was weighing a bid for governor of her own. Stefanik had been selected to become Trump's United Nations ambassador before the nomination was pulled amid concerns about the slim GOP majority in the House.
Stefanik responded to Lawler’s decision by praising his commitment to "protecting the House Republican majority," adding she would announce her plans after the fall elections. Stefanik started a political action committee last month aimed at supporting "Republican candidates across New York in 2025, and laying the groundwork to save New York by firing Kathy Hochul in 2026."
Hochul is running for re-election and faces a primary challenge from her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado. Addressing Lawler's decision not to run on social media, Hochul criticized Lawler for having "caved to Trump" by supporting the GOP's major tax cut and spending bill, and she posted a photo of a box of dog bones, calling Lawler "Donald Trump's Good Boy."
Lawler’s decision helps House Republicans defend their narrow majority next year, as they’ll be able to rally behind the incumbent in a difficult district that Harris narrowly won last year. But Lawler is expected to face significant competition as Democrats look to win back control of the House.
