Republican Rep. Mike Lawler braved boos and jeers at a stormy city corridor in suburban Rockland County as he seeks to bolster his standing in his suburban swing district.
A whole lot of constituents turned up largely to roast the self-styled GOP reasonable Sunday evening over his failure to push again in opposition to the right-wing agenda of President Trump in his second time period.
“What are you doing to stand in opposition to this administration?” one lady requested to cheers from the group.
“What are you doing specifically that warrants the label ‘moderate’?” a person requested.
Lawler sought to burnish his picture as a straight-talking drawback solver who can work with everybody from Trump to Democrats to get issues accomplished.
He vowed to combat to potential deep cuts to authorities applications spearheaded by the brand new administration.
“I have been very clear: I am not cutting benefits for any eligible recipient,” Lawler mentioned.
Exhibiting off his trademark political combativeness, Lawler downplayed the significance of the just lately handed GOP finances blueprint he voted for, which analysts say will pressure deep cuts in Medicaid.
“That is as good as the paper it’s written on,” Lawler claimed, sparking a refrain of jeers.
Lawler ticked off a laundry checklist of Trump insurance policies he opposes, together with the vaccine skepticism of Well being and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the improper deportation to El Salvador of undocumented immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
“If you’d take the opportunity to listen rather than yelling, you might actually hear what you want to hear,” he informed the offended viewers.
Regardless of the opposition, Lawler has vowed to carry reside city halls in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties, rejecting the recommendation of GOP management to skip the general public conferences which have been lightning rods for raucous criticism of Trump’s controversial agenda.
Lawler, who may wind up working for governor, says he’s working for a 3rd time period representing NY-17, an prosperous and extremely educated suburban district stretching north from White Plains.
He’s certainly one of simply three Home Republicans elected in districts the place Trump misplaced to Kamala Harris within the November election, making him a marquee goal for Democrats as they intention to retake the Home of Representatives.
Rockland County Legislator Beth Davidson, Military veteran Cait Conley and anti-poverty activist Jessica Reinmann are planning Democratic challenges. Ex-Rep. Mondaire Jones, who represented the district for a single time period earlier than Lawler and misplaced to the Republican in 2024, has mentioned he gained’t run once more subsequent yr.
