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American politician (born 1986) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Vincent Lawler (born September 9, 1986) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 17th congressional district since 2023. From 2021 to 2022, he was a Republican member of the New York State Assembly from the 97th district in Rockland County.
Mike Lawler | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 17th district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Mondaire Jones |
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 97th district | |
In office January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Ellen Jaffee |
Succeeded by | John W. McGowan |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Vincent Lawler September 9, 1986 Suffern, New York, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Doina |
Relations | Traugott Lawler (great uncle) |
Children | 1 |
Residence(s) | Pearl River, New York, U.S. |
Education | Manhattan College (BS) |
Signature | |
Website | House website |
A native of Rockland County, Lawler graduated from Suffern High School. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and finance from Manhattan College in 2009.[1] Lawler was named valedictorian of his graduating class.[2] He is of Irish and Italian descent.
Lawler was a partner at the political communications firm Checkmate Strategies from 2018 until 2022. He previously worked in the Westchester County Executive's Office as an advisor to Rob Astorino and executive director of the New York State Republican Party. Before winning his election, he served as deputy town supervisor of Orangetown, New York.
Per the Westchester Journal News, Lawler worked to elect President Donald J. Trump in 2020, when he was a partner at a consulting company that was paid $4 million by a Trump-aligned PAC to attack Joe Biden. He also served as a delegate for President Trump in 2016.[3]
Lawler was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020 for a two-year term, defeating Democratic incumbent Ellen Jaffee.[4][5][6]
Lawler was the Republican nominee in the 2022 general election in New York's 17th congressional district, having won the August 2022 primary. He narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent and DCCC chair Sean Patrick Maloney in the November general election.[7][8][9]
Per The New York Times, Lawler is "openly entertaining a bid for governor in 2026" while running for re-election to Congress.[10]
On January 4, 2023, Lawler called then-newly sworn Representative George Santos's conduct "embarrassing and unbecoming" and "certainly a distraction".[11] On January 12, he called for Santos to resign.[12]
Lawler voted for Kevin McCarthy in the 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election. McCarthy was unable to win the speakership on the first 14 ballots. Lawler said of the matter, "It's time for everybody to unify. It's time for everybody to move forward because the reality is the American people didn't elect us to fight over rules."[13]
On January 9, Lawler voted in favor of the House rules package.[14] Afterward, he gave his first House speech, in favor of a bill that would defund the IRS of the money allocated in the Inflation Reduction Act.[15]
Lawler was one of five Republicans to vote against the Parents' Bill of Rights in March 2023, and the only Republican not part of the Freedom Caucus to vote against it.[16] He co-sponsored the bill, but decided not to vote for it after he said an unspecified amendment "went too far".[17]
On June 21, Lawler voted with 212 other House Republicans in favor of the censure of Rep. Adam Schiff.[18][19][20][21]
Along with Claudia Tenney, Lawler introduced a bill to prohibit Washington, D.C. from adopting ranked-choice voting.[22]
For much of 2023, Lawler had a policy of banning television news cameras from his town hall meetings; he rescinded the ban in early 2024.[23][24][25][26]
In 2024 he was ranked as the 4th most bipartisan member of Congress by the Lugar Center and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy Bipartisan Index.[27]
Lawler is generally considered to be a centrist politician, with Politico describing Lawler him as "an avowed moderate".[29][30][31]
Lawler personally opposes abortion except in cases of rape or incest or if the mother's life is at risk, but opposes a federal ban on abortion.[32]
In 2023, Lawler opposed a plan by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to enact congestion pricing in Manhattan, New York City, one of the most traffic congested areas of the world.[33] The plan would charge most cars $15 per day to drive in Manhattan below 60th Street. Lawler argued that the congestion pricing plan was not intended to reduce congestion, but was instead an "outrageous cash grab."[34][35]
Lawler voted for President Trump in the 2024 Republican primary.[36]
Lawler was one of six Republicans to sign a bipartisan letter spearheaded by centrist House Representatives in which they pledged to respect the results of the 2024 presidential election.[37]
Lawler lives in Pearl River with his wife, Doina, and their daughter, Julianna.[38] Lawler is Catholic.[39]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mike Lawler | 26,527 | 46.27 | +17.91 | |
Conservative | Mike Lawler | 2,697 | 4.70 | ||
Independence | Mike Lawler | 315 | 0.55 | ||
SAM | Mike Lawler | 397 | 0.69 | ||
Total | Mike Lawler | 29,936 | 52.22 | ||
Democratic | Ellen Jaffee | 27,359 | 47.72 | −17.9 | |
Total | Ellen Jaffee (incumbent) | 27,359 | 47.72 | ||
Write-in | 35 | 0.06 | |||
Total votes | 57,330 | 100.0 | |||
Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | +35.81 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mike Lawler | 11,603 | 75.8 | |
Republican | William Faulkner | 1,772 | 11.6 | |
Republican | Charles Falciglia | 1,310 | 8.6 | |
Republican | Shoshana David | 444 | 2.9 | |
Republican | Jack Schrepel | 176 | 1.1 | |
Total votes | 15,305 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Sean Patrick Maloney | 130,999 | 45.6 | |
Working Families | Sean Patrick Maloney | 8,083 | 2.8 | |
Total | Sean Patrick Maloney (Incumbent) | 139,082 | 48.5 | |
Republican | Mike Lawler | 124,148 | 43.3 | |
Conservative | Mike Lawler | 17,573 | 6.1 | |
Total | Mike Lawler | 141,721 | 49.4 | |
Write-in | 5,885 | 2.0 | ||
Total votes | 286,688 | 100.0 | ||
Republican gain from Democratic |
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