Rep. Mike Lawler building support from upstate GOP chairs as he mulls 2026 NY governor run

ALBANY – Republican Rep. Mike Lawler has been courting party leaders across the state as he attempts to shore up support ahead of deciding whether to throw his hat in next year’s gubernatorial race, The Post has learned.

The Hudson Valley rep took a jaunt upstate last weekend, making stops in six counties and meeting with over a dozen county GOP committee chairs, as well as elected officials and other party faithful.

Several of the local Republican leaders who met with Lawler said they would be happy to back him should he choose to go up against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in the 2026 election.

“We can’t have four more years of Kathy Hochul. We know that Mike is a proven winner in a purple district,” Cattaraugus County GOP Chair Mark Heberling said of Lawler, who reps the battleground 17th Congressional District.

“It was a very positive meeting. It was exciting to have a quality candidate like that that’s interested in running for governor. We’re very excited for Mike,” Heberling told The Post.

Another county chair who met with Lawler, but did not want to be named, said the two-term congressman was “already battle tested.”

“We have to pick the person that is going to win in November,” the chair said. “He (Lawler) wins a district that has 80,000 more Democrats in it.”

The road trip included stops in Niagara, Cattaraugus, Steuben, Onondaga, Cayuga and Oswego counties according to an itinerary provided by Lawler’s camp.

“Congressman Lawler was honored to be hosted by county chairs, party leaders, and elected officials from across Upstate New York this past weekend and appreciated the encouragement many expressed as he seriously explores a run for Governor,” Lawler campaign spokesperson Chris Russell said in a statement.

“The congressman will continue touring the state, meeting with party leaders, and putting the building blocks in place for a potential run against the worst governor in America – Kathy Hochul,” Russell said.

Lawler’s road trip came as North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik also mulls challenging Hochul, with The Hill reporting Thursday that the congresswoman was apparently preparing to launch her campaign, though its unclear when.

A survey showed last month that Stefanik was neck-and-neck with Hochul in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup.

“It’s all up to what Elise decides and she’s got all the time in the world to decide,” one national GOP operative told The Post.

Stefanik’s name recognition and fundraising prowess would make her a formidable candidate to energize the Republican base in New York.

President Trump suggested he was leaning toward giving Stefanik his blessing last month when he posted to TruthSocial an endorsement of Lawler’s re-election campaign for Congress.

GOP leaders who spoke to The Post were clearly cognizant of the behind-the-scenes machinations happening as Lawler and Stefanik jostle to position themselves for a possible run at the Executive Mansion. 

“I think a lot of Republican leaders are looking to the president for some direction as to which way he would like this race to go,” said another county GOP chair who didn’t want to pick a favorite between the two lawmakers.

“I think if the president weighs in, it will go a long way to shutting this down and moving us forward to the general election behind one candidate,” the chair said.