New York's 17th Congressional District – The race between Republican incumbent Mike Lawer and Democratic Mondaire Jones for New York’s 17th Congressional district has national implications as a swing district that could determine control of the House of Representatives. Both sides have accused the other of being on the extreme of their respective parties, and both tout their own ability to cross party lines and focus on the needs of the lower Hudson Valley.
We spoke to the candidates on Oct. 26: Lawler for about 45 minutes in person at the Halston Media offices; Jones for 30 minutes by telephone later that day. The following interviews have been edited for length and clarity. We will post these interviews over a series of days leading up to the election.
Mondaire Jones
Democrat Mondaire Jones represented New York’s 17th congressional district from 2021-2023 before redistricting saw Sean Patrick Maloney—then chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee—move over to NY-17, where he was upset by Republican Mike Lawler.
A graduate of Stanford and Harvard Law School, Jones grew up in Section 8 housing and sometimes relied on food stamps to get by.
After earning his law degree, the Rockland County native worked for the Department of Justice during the Obama Administration. He also worked as a litigator in the Westchester County Attorney’s Office before being elected in 2020 to what Jones’s campaign website touts as “the most productive Congress in modern history.”
Jones says he took on the pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices for thousands of seniors on Medicare in the Lower Hudson Valley, negotiated passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and passed the American Rescue Plan Act.
Halston Media: New York-17 could determine if the House stays Republican or flips Democrat. How much of a factor is that in this race?
Jones: And I want everyone to understand that when they cast their votes… the importance of that part of the vote. Because one thing I know about the people in this district is that they don’t want a Republican Congress next January, and even less so if Donald Trump is President of the United States.
Halston Media: It’s possible a Harris voter may consider Lawler—there’s probably not going to be Trump voters who vote for you... What do you bring to the table for that voter?
Jones: First of all, I’ve met Trump voters who are voting for me. Let’s start there. But the other thing is that people in the 17th Congressional district won’t get to decide the outcome of the presidential election beyond contributing to Kamala Harris’s electoral college victory here in the state of New York.
But what people here do get to decide is whether Democrats will have the gavel or whether the most extreme Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson—who wants a national abortion ban and cuts to Social Security and Medicare—will remain in that position and preside over the certification of the 2024 presidential election results, despite not committing to certify a Harris victory.
Halston Media: Would you commit to certifying a Trump victory if you and Trump are both elected?
Jones: Of course I would and no one doubts that, thankfully, because I’m not a member of a party that questions democracy.
Halston Media: You have questioned Mike Lawler’s stance on abortion in your advertising. First, what is your position?
Jones: I’m for returning America to the day before Roe v Wade overturned women’s right to an abortion—a constitutionally recognized right until that Dobbs decision a few years ago.
Halston Media: Lawler says you’re mischaracterizing his position in your ads.
Jones: On the point about Mike Lawler claiming that he doesn’t support a national abortion ban, that is not a credible claim by him. Mike Lawler always votes against abortion. He has voted… 10 times and counting to restrict access to abortion. He recently told The Journal News that he would like to see nearly no abortions take place in the state of New York. He cheered the overturning of Roe v Wade, and he supports allowing politicians to ban abortion, even in New York, without exception for rape and incest.
Halston Media: He denies that.
Jones: He says, What? What does he say about that reporting in The Journal News?
Halston Media: He said he’s personally pro-life but has never advocated to deny abortion for rape or incest or the health of the mother.
Jones: I’m going to walk you through this, because I do think it’s really important he tries to get away without being held accountable. On this, when you remove the minimal protections in Roe v Wade, as the Republicans have done in the wake of those minimal protections, you allow politicians to ban abortion, without exception for rape or incest. That is the logic there, and that’s the reality, of course, because half the states in the country have abortion bans in the wake of Roe v Wade being overturned, right? So he has to accept the consequences of his position that celebrates the overturning of Roe v Wade. But beyond that, we have him on record with The Journal News saying that he would like to see nearly no abortions take place in the state of New York.
Halston Media: But there’s a difference between liking something to happen and making it into a law, right? If you’re pro-life, you would hope that nobody feels the need to have an abortion…
Jones: So you can have your personal opinion on that, but here’s where this comes into play as something that absolutely should be considered in the context of a pattern. Mike Lawler has not only said that he’d like to see nearly no abortions take place in the state of New York, but every chance he has gotten, meaning on 10 different occasions and counting, he has voted to restrict access to abortion and has never a day in his life stood up to Donald Trump. All of those things taken into consideration lead, I think, indisputably, to the conclusion that he would be a reliable vote for a national abortion ban. You may reach a different conclusion, but I think I’m pretty good with my logic on this. And I think it’s why so many women trust me on this issue. In fact, so many people in the district by double digits trust me on this issue.
Mike Lawler
First-term incumbent Mike Lawler (R) was elected in 2022, upsetting then-Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Sean Patrick Maloney in a close race to flip New York’s 17th Congressional district for the GOP.
Before being elected to Congress, Lawler spent one term in the New York State Assembly, representing the 97th district. The Rockland County native also served as deputy town supervisor in Orangetown, was a senior advisor to the Westchester County Executive, and was executive director of the State Republican Party. Lawler graduated from Manhattan College with degrees in accounting and finance and was valedictorian of his graduating class.
Lawler serves on the House Financial Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and nearly 50 congressional caucuses, including as co-chair of the Anti-Congestion Tax Caucus, Appalachian National Scenic Trails Caucus, and the Moldova Caucus. He also serves on the bipartisan SALT Caucus and the Problem Solvers Caucus. He lives in Pearl River with his wife, Doina, and their two daughters.
Halston Media: What have you learned about the district since you were elected?
Lawler: Look, it is a diverse district that has different issues and needs. You know, 19 percent of my district is Latino. I have the second-largest Haitian diaspora per capita in the country. I have the largest Irish diaspora per capita in the country. Fifty percent of households have a cop, a firefighter, a veteran, first responder living in the household; over 50 percent of adults have a college degree or higher. So it’s a very affluent and educated yet working-class district.
But ultimately, while there may be different needs and challenges in different communities, the issue set remains the same. People care about the issue of affordability. People are being taxed and spent out of home. The average mortgage cost has increased by over $1,000 a month in Westchester. Taxes remain stubbornly high. When people go to the grocery store or the gas station or get their utility bill, they’re paying through the nose. That obviously has been a primary concern.
I’ve lived in this community my whole life. I’ve lived in Rockland County. I’ve worked in Westchester. I’ve helped folks running for public office in every county in this district, so I’m intimately familiar with each of the communities and the elected officials that represent them. And I think we’ve shown the ability to work with everyone across the district to address the local issues as well as, obviously, the federal issues.
Halston Media: You’re in a swing district and a big factor in the contest between you and Mondaire Jones is control of Congress—which goes beyond you as individual politicians acting on behalf of the district. How would you function in a House with Trump as president? How would you work with Harris?
Lawler: Well, first, as I say, often on the trail, if you agree with me on nine out of 12 things, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 things, have your head examined. That was a famous line from Ed Koch.
The fact is, we’re not going to agree on everything, and that’s a good thing. That’s why we have a government and a constitutional republic. We should have robust debate and discussion and where I agree with the former president, I say it; where I disagree with him, I say it too.
The job is to represent the district and the people within the district, and I’ve shown an ability to do that in a bipartisan way and to be independent-minded. At the end of the day, people don’t really care whether you’re Republican or Democrat. What they care about is that we’re addressing the challenges facing the country, from the affordability crisis to the migrant crisis to public safety to the threats happening around the globe, et cetera. And that’s been my focus in Congress.
I think at the end of the day, you look at the differences between my opponent [and me]. Yes, this race is going to be one that decides control of Congress. But that’s truthfully not how people vote. They vote on the substance of the issues, and they vote on the choice between the candidates. Mondaire Jones supported defunding the police. He supported cashless bail. He supported open borders. He supported decriminalizing border crossings. He wanted to provide amnesty to criminal aliens. He wanted to allow cop killers and rapists the right to vote from prison. He supports the Green New Deal. He supports government-run healthcare. He supported congestion pricing. He called himself a socialist. You know, he’s somebody who called cops racists and white supremacists, called ICE agents terrorists, called all Republicans part of a fascist movement. This is not someone who has the ability to work across the aisle, not somebody who has the ability to get major things done on behalf of this district, and I think people see that.
Halston Media: What is your position on abortion?
Lawler: I am personally pro-life, but I’ve been very clear. I will not support a federal ban on abortion. If one ever came to the floor of the House for a vote, I would vote against it. I have always supported exceptions for rape, incest, the life and health of the mother. I have fought to get access to IVF and contraception enshrined into law. I’ve pushed back against my own party with respect to efforts to ban access to Mifepristone.
The law in New York is settled. It’s not changing, and I’m not seeking to change it. Abortion is legal up to 24 weeks, and then thereafter for the life and health of the mother. That is not changing in New York, anyone who is trying to imply that it is lying. The Wall Street Journal called my opponent’s attacks against me flat-out false, because they have continually tried to lie and mislead people about my position and say that I’m seeking to ban abortion in New York. That’s false. They’re saying that I don’t believe in exceptions for rape, incest, the life and health of the mother; that’s false. They say that I support a federal abortion ban. That’s false. And so I’ve been very clear about that, and that’s where I stand on it.
Check back tomorrow as the interview continues.
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