Rep. Mike Lawler won't run for governor in New York as Elise Stefanik's decision looms

The two Republican House members have both made moves to set up potential runs against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, but Lawler decided against it.
Lawler had been openly considering a gubernatorial bid for some time, but Trump endorsed him for re-election in May, before the congressman made his announcement.

That endorsement came weeks after reporting that Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a Trump ally who had been tapped to become his United Nations ambassador before that nomination was pulled amid concerns about the slim GOP majority in the House, was weighing a gubernatorial bid of her own.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is skipping a bid for governor and will instead run for re-election after President Donald Trump urged him to do just that, giving Republicans a battle-tested incumbent in one of the most competitive House races in the country — and clearing the way for one of Lawler's House colleagues to run for governor if she so chooses.

Lawler made his announcement Wednesday morning in an interview with The New York Times and an appearance on Fox News, noting that “keeping the House majority is critical” and that his seat has been “determinative of control of the House” during recent elections.
Republicans are protecting a narrow House majority in the 2026 midterms. Democrats would need to a net gain of just three seats to flip the chamber, and Lawler represents one of the three House Republican districts carried by then-Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2024 election.