Assemblyman Mike Lawler announces Congressional Run in New Yorks’s 17th District

Assemblyman Mike Lawler (R,C- Pearl River) released the following statement after holding a press conference announcing his campaign for Congress in New York’s 17th Congressional District.

“Two years ago, when I announced my candidacy for the State Assembly, I did so because I believed New York State was headed in the wrong direction. One party rule in Albany brought us the disastrous cashless bail law; job-killing taxes and burdensome regulations; out-of-control spending; and a corrupt state government, headed by a now disgraced, corrupt former Governor. It’s why New York led the nation in outmigration. We needed change and I believed that I had something to offer. We took on the hard fight and won, unseating a 14-year incumbent in a 2-to-1 Democratic district by over 2,500 votes, building a broad coalition across the district in the process.During my time in the Assembly, I have stood up for Rockland County, fighting for our residents and delivering results.

“That’s why today, I’m proud to announce my candidacy for New York’s 17th Congressional District. After spending a combined 90 years in Washington, D.C., folks it’s time to end the Biden, Pelosi, and Sean Patrick Maloney Agenda. As Chairman of Nancy Pelosi’s political committee, Sean Patrick Maloney has served as both the head cheerleader for the failed Biden-Pelosi agenda and as their chief enforcer in Congress. During his 10-years in Washington, D.C., he went from being a self-avowed moderate to one of the most partisan members, who has failed to deliver for Hudson Valley families, and he knows it.  It’s why he’s so worried about losing re-election, in what will be the worst election year for Democrats since 2010. It’s why he forced Mondaire Jones out of this Congressional seat. Here’s the truth – this seat is winnable, the polling shows we’re ahead, and we will win it in November.”

Lawler, who took office in 2020, has in many ways defined his career through opposition to Democrat polices. The Pearl River native was on the front line in the fight against the New York State Accessory Homes Act, a proposal put forth by Governor Hochul,  which would have required that all municipalities in the state allow at least one accessory dwelling unit per residential lot. Lawler and other republicans in the state legislature successfully nixed the proposal, which they were concerned would lead to a huge influx of overcrowding in smaller municipalities and trample on the principle of home rule, which dictates that zoning decisions should be made at the county and town level. Lawler was also an outspoken critic of former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and like many Rocklanders expressed outrage at the Cuomo’s decision to grant an early prison release to some of the county’s worst criminals, including Robert McCain and Richard LaBarbera, the men who rapped and killed Pearl River teen  Paula Bohovesky in 1980. In the wake of that controversy, Lawler cosponsored Paula’s Law, a bill which would eliminate the possibility of parole for any person convicted of murdering an underage victim during a sexual assault.

Most recently, Lawler has focused his attention on providing tax relief for his constituents. In March, Lawler proposed creating a thousand, dollar tax credit for commuters who report suffering a blown tire while traveling on New York’s notoriously rough  state roads. In that same time period, Lawler cosponsored legislation  that would eliminate the state gas tax for one year, and permanently do away with the state’s tax on overtime earnings.