Lawler, Jones in Crucial Battle Royale for the 17th Congressional District

The 17^th Congressional District election is not only being closely watched in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties but across the United States as well.

The matchup between Republican incumbent Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Mondaire Jones is one of a limited number of swing district congressional races that may play a significant factor in which party controls the next House of Representatives. (Anthony Frascone appears on the Working Families Party line in a controversial move, but is not running an active campaign.)

Lawler said he doesn’t feel any increased pressure because of the high stakes.

“I have run and won twice in two-to-one Democratic districts,” said Lawler, referring to his state Assembly victory in 2020 followed by his win over Sean Patrick Maloney two years ago. “So I’m used to running in districts that are on paper, people say, I can’t win. But my putting in the work and doing the job, I think people have recognized, whether they agree with me on everything or not, that I will show up and do the job and do it well.”

Jones, an attorney who had worked in the Westchester County Law Department prior to his election to Congress in 2020, served one term but found himself redistricted out of the old 17^th Congressional District two years ago. Instead of forcing a primary against either Maloney or Rep. Jamaal Bowman, he chose to vie for the party’s nomination for a New York City district and lost.

Throughout this campaign, both candidates have slugged it out, accusing each other of lying about their positions and painting each other as extremists that are beholden to their respective party’s base. Jones said while Lawler cultivates an image as a pragmatic moderate Republican, particularly on smaller issues, he reverts to how the party wants him to vote on larger matters.

He accused Lawler of wanting to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and the Affordable Care Act, backing an increase in the full retirement age for Social Security and for not supporting a bipartisan immigration bill because Donald Trump wanted to use the stalemated issue for his presidential campaign.

“Mike Lawler masquerades on television just like an extremist MAGA Republican,” Jones said. “He has been doubling down on MAGA extremism as he fully embraces Donald Trump.”

Lawler dismisses his opponent’s assertions, pointing to his rating as the fourth most bipartisan member of the House during the current session, according to a ranking from the Lugar Center and Georgetown University’s School of Public Policy. He said Jones was rated the 381^st most bipartisan member of Congress during his term.

“He’s the one who said he supported defunding the police, he’s the one who said he supports cashless, he’s the one who said he supported Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and open borders,” Lawler said of Jones.

Lawler said five of his bills passed and signed into law with broad bipartisan support: creating a special envoy for the Abraham Accords; the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act; the Iran Energy Sanctions Act; the Undetectable Firearms Act, which requires at least 3.7 ounces of metal in a gun so weapons can’t be sneaked past metal detectors; and providing equal security for both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris during the campaign.

Economy

As in many elections, the state of the economy and the candidate who is viewed as having the best policies on that issue may play a key role in the race. Jones said corporate price gouging is some of what has driven inflation.

“We have to take on corporate greed using anti-trust laws and executive action,” he said.

Despite the post-pandemic upheavals, the Biden administration and the Fed have helped to lower inflation to about 2.5 percent, close to more recent historical norms. Jones said he would also let the Trump tax cuts sunset at the end of next year, which would restore the full state and local tax deduction (SALT).

“If Donald Trump does not get his way in terms of renewing the 2017 tax legislation act, then we’ll be in a better place,” Jones said. “It will not be with the help of Mike Lawler, who says he wants to renew the 2017 tax provisions.”

Despite the country having avoided a recession so far and the stock market close to all-time records, Lawler said most constituents measure the economy’s success by everyday needs – the cost of groceries, housing, utilities and filling the car with gas – all of which have gotten prohibitively more expensive in the past four years.

First, the nation has to curb spending, Lawler said. He supported the Fiscal Responsibility Act to cap federal discretionary spending increases at 1 percent a year through at least Fiscal Year 2025. (The measure could be extended for four more years.)

Along with ramping up renewable sources of energy, the U.S. should support more nuclear and natural gas to meet demand, he said.

Foreign Policy

Energy policy also extends into foreign affairs. Lawler said Europe’s reliance on Russian oil is helping to fund the war against Ukraine, even as the U.S. assists Ukraine’s war efforts. The next president will also have to deal with America’s adversaries, he said.

“There is no question that Russian, China and Iran are engaged in an unholy alliance to undermine and destabilize the United States, Israel and everyone in the free world,” Lawler said. “They are not our friends; they are not our allies; they should be treated as adversaries because that’s what they are and we have to recognize that. It’s not just Ukraine, it’s not just Israel, it’s not just Taiwan. This is a much larger global conflict that is brewing, and how we approach it and deal with it matters.”

Lawler said the 2020 Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and four Arab countries was a significant step forward. The next step is an agreement between Saudia Arabia and Israel to normalize relations, which has been at least temporarily derailed after the Oct. 7. 2023, attacks on Israel.

The congressman slammed Jones for having stated that Israel should return to its pre-1967 borders.

However, Jones accused Lawler of lying about his position on Israel and the Middle East. The challenger said he stands with Israelis and Palestinians who want a lasting peace in the region. Jones also said he supports a two-state solution.

“I continue in my strongly defending Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself against terror threats, whether they emanate from Hamas, a terrorist organization that must be defeated and that still has over 100 hostages, including Americans hostages and Hezbollah,” Jones said.

Immigration

Jones said he would have supported Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford’s bipartisan immigration bill. It would hire more border patrol agents and judges to hear asylum cases more quickly and has the support of the conservative Border Patrol agent union and Harris and President Biden.

‘I supported the bipartisan security bill that Mike Lawler’s opposing right now because Donald Trump is telling him to,” Jones said.

Lawler responded that the bill never came to the House because it didn’t have enough support in the Senate. However, it should have included for asylum seekers to remain in Mexico.

The congressman said the U.S. needs immigration, but it should be targeted to attract people who meets the country’s employment and economic needs, including both white collar and blue-collar jobs.

Abortion

A third rail of American politics is the abortion debate. Jones has argued that Lawler has repeatedly voted against abortion rights and his lack of enthusiasm for a federal solution could endanger millions of women.

Lawler responded said that he would never support a federal ban, but believes the issue belongs to the states.

“I’ve been very clear about this,” Lawler said. “I’m against a federal ban, I will not support a federal ban, I will not vote for a federal ban. I have always believed and supported exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.”

He also supports access to IVF and contraceptives.

Jones said he supports codifying abortion in federal statute.

Other Issues

In addition to his Undetectable Firearms Act, Lawler supports red flag laws and background checks while Jones wants an assault weapons ban.

On helping to keep Social Security and Medicare solvent, Jones wants to see all earned income be subject to paying for the programs, not having an earnings limit. Lawler said an issue that large will need to be negotiated in a bipartisan fashion.

“There’s a real choice between the two of us and people in the lower Hudson Valley are going to decide whether we’re going to go in a direction of a Democratic Congress that’s going to build on the success of a Republican Congress,” Jones said.

Lawler said that he has worked hard to be visible and to explain his positions while bringing home about $70 million in federal funding the past two years for much-needed infrastructure projects.

He said most people have seen or heard directly from through one medium or another and he has visited every community in the district multiple times.

“We show up in every community, and I think by and large people appreciate that, and my stances on Israel and the border and on crime and supporting law enforcement, supporting labor, being pro-business but fighting for our workforce, that all matters and people respect that and appreciate that,” Lawler said.