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2026 midterms · Candidate

Republican · Candidate · U.S. House, New York’s 17th District · Incumbent

Portrait of Michael Lawler, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
17%
of statements use bipartisan language

In the top 5% of Republican House incumbents (their average is 5.4%; Lawler ranks 2nd of 221, where 1st is the highest rate), from 14,036 statements.

An AI model reads everything Lawler publishes in office (posts, press releases, newsletters, floor speeches) and marks whether each stresses working across party lines; the rate is the share marked.

What Lawler says

17% of Lawler’s statements use bipartisan language, in the top 5% of Republican House incumbents. Their average is 5.4%.

An AI model reads everything Lawler publishes in office and marks five kinds of statement; the rate is the share of statements with each label. The thin grey bar is the average of the 221 Republican House incumbents with 50 or more statements, and the rank places Lawler among them (1st is the highest rate). A rate describes what was said, not whether it was right.

How often does Lawler make each kind of statement?

Share of statements: Lawler (thick bar) against the Republican House incumbents average (thin grey bar)

0%70%
Lawler
Average
Rank
Personal attacks
1.4%
2.4%
112th of 221
Policy criticism
14%
18%
152nd of 221
Policy discussion
54%
61%
188th of 221
Bipartisanship
17%
5.4%
2nd of 221
Credit claiming
32%
22%
24th of 221
Show the data
Lawler’s share of statements of each kind, against the Republican House incumbents average: Personal attacks 1.4%, Policy criticism 14%, Policy discussion 54%, Bipartisanship 17%, Credit claiming 32%.
RowLawlerAverage
Personal attacks1.4%2.4%
Policy criticism14%18%
Policy discussion54%61%
Bipartisanship17%5.4%
Credit claiming32%22%
14,036

statements classified

From everything they publish in office: posts, press releases, newsletters and floor speeches.

Awards

  • Bipartisanship LeaderTop 3% in bipartisan language among all ranked candidates, the lab’s rule.

This compares Lawler with other candidates. Lawler’s official profile compares Lawler with fellow office-holders and has every statement, vote and bill.

The five kinds of statement

Personal attacks. Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.

Policy criticism. Objects to a specific policy, law or court ruling with fact-based arguments, without personal attacks or emotional appeals.

Policy discussion. Discusses a specific public policy or policy area (health care, taxes, defense, …).

Bipartisanship. Emphasises working across the aisle, compromise or common ground between the parties.

Credit claiming. Claims credit for passing legislation, securing funding or grants, or other accomplishments in office.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Lawler reports $10.3M raised and $2.0M cash on hand. By money raised, 2nd of the two candidates on this race’s list with FEC figures.

Totals the campaign reports to the Federal Election Commission for the 2026 cycle, as filed.

Raised

$10.3M

Spent

$8.5M

Cash on hand

$2.0M

Where has Lawler’s money come from?

Receipts by source, as reported to the FEC

Individuals: $4.0M (61.4%)Individuals $4.0MPACs: $2.5M (38.5%)PACs $2.5MParty committees: $10.3K (0.2%)
Show the data
Lawler’s receipts by source: Individuals $4.0M, PACs $2.5M, Party committees $10.3K, Own money $0, Candidate loans $0.
PartValue
Individuals$4.0M
PACs$2.5M
Party committees$10.3K
Own money$0
Candidate loans$0
Notes
Sources are the FEC’s categories; what is left (transfers, refunds, other receipts) is not drawn. The race page compares every candidate in the race.

Back to topNext: Online

Online

Engagement is what X reports for each collected post, averaged; it measures reach, not support.

No engagement figures are on file for this account.

Back to topNext: The race

The race

New York 17th District: Lawler advanced from the primary. Primary Jun 23, 2026. General election Nov 3, 2026.

Rated toss-up. Cook Political Report ratings, entered by the lab (last updated by the lab on Jun 24, 2026); a forecaster’s judgement about the general election, not the lab’s.

Who else is on the list?

Candidates recorded as advancing from the primary

The race page compares every candidate’s statements and money · every race in New York

Back to topNext: Methods and sources

Methods and sources

The headline. Each candidate’s headline is chosen by one rule for everyone. The peer group is the ranked candidates (50 or more statements) of the same party, for the same office and measured on the same record, widened to both parties when it has fewer than 10. Each kind of statement is scored by how far the candidate sits from the middle of the group (|percentile − 0.5|, ties counting half); the farthest leads if it is outside the middle half (above 0.25), scores within 0.03 tie and fall to a fixed order, and a high rate backed by fewer than 10 labelled statements cannot lead. Otherwise the headline is a plain count.

The statements. As an incumbent member of Congress, this candidate is measured on everything the lab collects from them in office: posts on X, press releases, newsletters and floor speeches. An AI model marks each statement for five kinds of statement; rates are shown from 10 statements and ranked from 50.

The race. Candidates come from FEC filings (House and Senate), the lab’s list of sitting members of Congress, and the lab’s list of candidates for governor. The lab records each primary’s result once it is official. House districts follow FEC filings; a sitting member is placed in the race for the seat they hold now.

Identifiers. FEC candidate id H2NY17162 (FEC record). Bioguide id L000599. First FEC filing May 17, 2022.

Money and reach. Campaign money is as reported to the FEC. Followers, likes and views are what X reports for the posts the lab collected.

About the data →

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