A multi-colored windmill spins on the front lawn of a home on Union Street in Broadalbin.

You say black, I say white

FILE — U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler debates Mondaire Jones during the Congressional District 17 election hosted by News 12, Oct. 16, 2024, in Yonkers, NY.

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, of New York’s 17th District, marches in the 2025 Israel Day Parade, on New York’s Fifth Avenue, May 18.

Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler on Wednesday announced he will run for reelection in his suburban New York swing district rather than launch a long-anticipated campaign for governor.

The congressman has been openly considering a run for governor for months and was viewed as a potentially strong challenger to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

But in an interview on the “Fox and Friends” morning show on Wednesday, Lawler said he was abandoning his statewide ambitions to instead defend his battleground seat as Republicans try to retain their threadbare control of the House in next year’s midterm elections.

“Keeping the House majority is critical if we are going to continue to move this economy in the right direction,” he said, adding that running was “the right thing to do for me and my family and my district.”

The decision came as another prominent House Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik, also has........

© The Leader Herald