A“Democrats for Mike Lawler” sign sits in the window of the GOP field office in Pearl River. The two-term incumbent is the indigenous political creature of a district like New York’s 17th, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by 80,000. For his third act in one of the most competitive and expensive races in the country, he’ll have to coax over many of these voters while accounting for all the idiosyncrasies in the Republican coalition to retain their support. It’s a game of compromise-and-barter, often featuring prevarication on his relationship with President Donald Trump, as he points to his ranking as the fourth-most bipartisan member of the House and reminds voters that he’s there to legislate and deliver for the district, especially if that means compromise.
“Look, I am a conservative Republican, but I have always looked at the substance of issues and tried to find common ground on them,” he told National Review in a sit-down in his office. “The reality of governing is you’re not going to get everything you want. I think too many people are absolutists and want 100 percent or nothing. And I think nothing is a terrible solution. So, I’d rather get 80 percent of what I want than nothing.”
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