Rep. Mike Lawler: Bipartisan or MAGA?
Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17) was in the Bronx on Tuesday, April 22, to speak to students at Manhattan University. Dr. Margaret Groarke, the Department Chairperson of History, Political & International Studies, extended the invitation as the coordinator of Jaspers Vote, a nonpartisan voter engagement organization on campus. Lawler, a 2009 university alumnus, engaged in an open student forum. Groarke explained, “He answered prepared questions on Ukraine, tariffs, DOGE and government cuts, the state of the economy, due process, US AID, and more.” Lawler also took questions from the audience.
I didn’t have the opportunity to see Lawler enter the building. Apparently, he was whisked in quickly to bypass about fifty demonstrators who showed up to express their displeasure with him. The group was primarily over 55, and robustly chanted refrains such as “Take a Hike, Maga Mike” while waving signs and holding banners. They were eager to express their opinions on Lawler’s shortcomings.
When I asked Steven Epstein why he was in attendance, he had plenty to say. “I’m here to save Democracy. Lawler lies. He supports defunding Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. He voted for the Republican budgets and fired people.” Without missing a beat, he added, “All Republicans are MAGA.” The students passing by ignored the rally, and most did not want to engage when I tried to speak with them. The two engineering majors who did respond to my questions had no idea who Lawler was and weren’t particularly interested in finding out.
Grassroots activists Ann Starer and Maureen Morrissey, founders of Fight Lawler, spearheaded the action. They had previously staged an Empty Seat Town Hall for Lawler’s constituents in NY17. Their top concern, borne out by other sources, was his propensity for being disingenuous about his political positions.
Morrissey said, “He’s my Representative. I live in Mount Kisco. He obfuscates. He changes how he talks about issues to create disinformation.” In tandem with one of the displayed placards, Morrissey noted, “And he got $1.7 million for his campaign from Elon Musk.” When questioned about that donation during a CNN show, Lawler responded, “Not exactly.”
Addressing her apprehension for the Mount Kisco immigrant population (approximately 35 percent), Morrissey discussed those residents who had moved to Mount Kisco in 1995. “They are day laborers, restaurant workers, nannies, and gardeners.” Morrissey has worked with this population since they arrived, to help them acclimate and lead productive lives. “They are major contributors to our community, and now they are afraid to leave their homes to go shopping.” Morrisey underscored, “Lawler is anti-immigrant. He tows Trump’s line on immigration.”
Starer, an attorney, emphasized that Lawler is “fundamentally a MAGA Republican.” With disgust she pointed out, “85 percent of his strategy is replying to questions with answers that “are not forthright,” Starer reiterated, “He’s a MAGA guy who masquerades as a moderate.”
That was the consensus of everyone I spoke to. Kathy Solomon from North West Bronx Indivisible asserted, “What’s dangerous about him is that he presents as a moderate, but he’s not. He voted for the 2025 SAVE ACT (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act).” Lawler, in fact, was an original co-sponsor. Both the League of Women Voters and the ACLU have condemned the legislation as a form of voter suppression.
When I checked out Lawler’s website, the verbiage differed from many of his public (and behind closed doors) statements. Although he has maintained that he is “firmly opposed to any effort to ban abortion nationally,” Lawler was identified as one of the Republicans specifically presenting voters with ambiguous information about his views on women’s reproductive care before the November 2024 election. There was a piece on the ACLU website and an article published by the19th News. Neither reflected his page on Women’s Health, nor did the callout by Emily’s List about Lawler’s record.
It was a very different picture and succinctly encapsulated what the constituents I met had been complaining about. Apparently, Lawler is on the watch list of numerous entities working to keep Republicans accountable. American Bridge had a page devoted to Lawler before his televised debate. Most recently, he got caught in a major jam when a Social Security office in his district was closed. In a Trumpian move, he tried to ascribe blame to the Biden administration.
On guns, he states that he has a sensible approach. Gabby Gifford’s organization for gun safety felt differently.
Lawler is holding a Town Hall on April 27 in response to the outcry that he is unavailable to voters. An RSVP is required, and comments on his Facebook page suggested that claims it was “sold out” meant that attendees were being vetted.
Regardless, Starer and Morrissey will be there — if not inside the venue, then outside. “We have concerns about his designs on the governorship,” they told me. “We feel we must keep the spotlight on him. Every chance we get, we will show up where he is.”
As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Photos: Marcia G. Yerman
