Mike Lawler
Mike Lawler, a Republican who has represented New York's 17th congressional district since 2023, faces Democrat Cait Conley, a former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency senior advisor, in his 2026 re-election race.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
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- Born
- September 9, 1986
- Birthplace
- Suffern, New York
- Education
- Suffern High School
Manhattan College (Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance, 2009)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Mike Lawler was born on September 9, 1986, to Marie and Kevin Lawler and grew up in South Salem and Suffern, New York. He is of Irish and Italian descent. He graduated from Suffern High School and in 2009 earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance from Manhattan College in the Bronx, where he was named valedictorian of his graduating class.
Career
Lawler worked for the New York Republican State Committee from 2009 to 2014, first as special assistant to the chairman and then as executive director.
He managed Rob Astorino's 2014 campaign for governor, later worked as an assistant to Astorino as Westchester County Executive, and in 2018 co-founded the political communications firm Checkmate Strategies.
He was deputy town supervisor of Orangetown from 2018 to 2020, and in 2020 he won election to the New York State Assembly by defeating Democratic incumbent Ellen Jaffee, representing the 97th district from 2021 to 2022.
In 2022 Lawler won New York's 17th congressional district by narrowly defeating Democratic incumbent Sean Patrick Maloney, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and in 2024 he was re-elected over former congressman Mondaire Jones.
A member of the Climate Solutions Caucus and the Republican Governance Group, he serves on the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and co-chairs the Moldova Caucus.
2026 race
Mike Lawler is seeking re-election in New York's 17th congressional district, which covers the Lower Hudson Valley, including all of Rockland and Putnam counties, northern Westchester County and a small part of Dutchess County.
After being mentioned as a potential candidate for governor of New York, he announced in July 2025 that he would run for the House again.
He was re-elected with 52.2% of the vote in 2024 and is one of three Republicans in the 119th Congress to represent a district carried by Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Lawler, who also holds the Conservative Party line, faces Democrat Cait Conley, a former senior advisor to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency who won a five-candidate Democratic primary with 49.6% of the vote.
The two met in a debate broadcast by News12 Hudson Valley ahead of the general election on November 3, 2026.