Mike Lawler’s ‘moderate’ brand collides with his far-right alliances

New York Rep. Mike Lawler is running for reelection as a moderate, but he’s campaigning with a rogue’s gallery of far-right, MAGA acolytes.

Lawler represents the state’s 17th District, which includes portions of the Hudson Valley. He won a second term last year by fewer than 16,500 votes. President Donald Trump lost the district in the same election.

On Oct. 23, Lawler held a fundraiser in Monsey, NY, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. An analysis by GovTrack ranks Cruz as the third most conservative lawmaker in Washington. The Houston Chronicle reports that Cruz is currently leading a charge to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Video from Monsey Scoop shows Lawler and Cruz arriving at the event and shaking hands with other guests. Tickets for the event ranged from $250 to $7,000.

Less than a month later, Lawler held a fundraiser at the Putnam County Golf Course featuring Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who is deputy chair of the far-right House Freedom Caucus.

In 2023, the Freedom Caucus pushed a budget proposal that called for deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. While the budget did not pass, these same ideas ultimately found their way into Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), which Lawler supported.

Lawler has also helped far-right candidates with their own campaigns.

Last month, Lawler attended a get-out-the-vote rally for New Jersey governor candidate Jack Ciattarelli. In his campaign, Ciattarelli praised OBBB, aligned himself with anti-vaxxers, and spread disinformation about immigrants and transgender athletes. He also campaigned with far-right conspiracist Jack Posobiec.

Ciattarelli lost the Nov. 4 election to Democrat Mikie Sherrill.

This week, Lawler endorsed Rep. Elise Stefanik in her bid for New York governor. Lawler flirted with his own campaign for governor and previously suggested Stefanik was too extreme to win. Stefanik has backed a nationwide abortion ban, eliminating Obamacare, and pardoning the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump has endorsed Stefanik’s campaign.

“Mike Lawler will toss New Yorkers aside in a heartbeat if it keeps him in Donald Trump’s good graces,” said Riya Vashi, a spokesperson for the DCCC. “From enabling Trump’s extreme agenda to backing his dangerous ‘Ultra MAGA’ ally in New York for Governor, Mike Lawler keeps reminding Hudson Valley voters exactly who he works for — and it’s certainly not them.”

Several Democrats have launched campaigns challenging Lawler next year.