Republican congressman tries to outrun a potential blue wave in New York toss-up seat

Republican Representative Mike Lawler is defending a New York seat that could help decide whether his party keeps its slim House majority. The 17th District, made up of commuter towns and suburbs in the Hudson River Valley, is among the tightest contests nationally. It is also one of only a few districts that sent a Republican to the House in 2024 while backing Democrat Kamala Harris for president. Groups on both sides have already put more than $40 million into advertising, NPR reports, and national polling shows voters leaning toward Democrats.

Lawler, seeking a third term, presents himself as willing to break with his party. He opposed the administration's termination of protections for nearly 350,000 Haitian migrants, and he stresses his push to raise the state and local tax deduction cap. Yet he cast a pivotal vote for President Donald Trump's big tax and spending law, which critics tie to deep cuts in federal health funding. Facing him is Democrat Cait Conley, an Army-veteran-turned-Biden-era counterterrorism official.

At a local parade, Lawler said he is confident because "all politics is local." A diner owner in Garnerville, Jeannie Nicolakis, called him like a grandson.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NPR’s reporting. Read the full story at NPR →