GOP New York Rep. Mike Lawler, known for his sharp critiques of state Democrats, recently hinted at a possible run for governor during his annual “Festivus” airing of grievances. The Hudson Valley congressman used the occasion to skewer Governor Kathy Hochul and her administration’s policies while suggesting he might be the one to challenge her in 2026.
“No doubt she’s going to face a real challenge in 2026. I wonder who could beat her. Hmm. I might know a guy,” Lawler said with a wink in the video, leaving little doubt about his aspirations. “Anyway, that’s a video for another day.”
Lawler didn’t hold back in his critique of Hochul, blasting her for increasing state spending by more than $50 billion in under four years and allocating significant funds to support migrants. He also criticized the controversial congestion pricing plan in Manhattan, which he framed as an undue tax on hardworking New Yorkers.
“She’s done such a bad job that even her own hand-picked lieutenant governor is retweeting articles about his plans to run against her,” Lawler remarked, referencing Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado’s apparent discontent with the administration.
Lawler’s rhetoric signals that the battle for New York’s governorship in 2026 may be shaping up to be particularly contentious, and as Hochul grapples with internal dissent and mounting criticism, Lawler’s remarks add fuel to the political fire, setting the stage for a potential showdown in 2026.
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One Response
1. Given the Republicans minimal majority in the House, and the historic tendency for the ruling party to lose seats in the mid-term election (regardless of Trump/MAGA shooting themselves in the foot, as they have done regularly in Congressional elections), he will be a member of an impotent minority in 2017.
2. The Republicans have been doing better the last few years in spite of not putting lots of resources into New York campaigns.
3. When you ignore foreign affairs (not relevant in a state election) the Republicans (MAGA and traditional) are not all that divided, whereas the Democrats have a wide gap between traditional “moderate” (a.k.a. DINOS) and their Progressive WOKE wing.