Romney Smith reports on the fight for NY’S highly contested District 17.
Mike Lawler, a New York Republican previously little known outside his district, is expected to claim victory later Wednesday over one of the country's top Democrats for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, though the race has not yet been officially called in his favor.
A spokesperson for Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney said Maloney conceded the race for New York's 17th District via phone call earlier in the day.
Lawler is expected to make an announcement on the race in Rockland County Wednesday afternoon. Maloney's concession makes him the first head of a congressional campaign committee to lose his own seat since 1992.
Who Is Mike Lawler?
Rep.-elect Mike Lawler first entered office just last year, after his election to the state Assembly representing Rockland County.
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A 2009 graduate of Manhattan College, Lawler previously served as executive director of the state Republican Party, and held a variety of local government jobs in Rockland and Westchester counties. He is also a co-founder of a political consulting firm, Checkmate Strategies.
News
Lawler, 36, ran a tough-on-crime campaign, touting his endorsements from a slew of law enforcement unions.
Maloney came in for heavy criticism for his decision to run in the 17th District after the state's congressional map was redrawn, as it put him up against the incumbent, Rep. Mondaire Jones.
Jones ultimately opted to run in the 10th District instead, where he lost a crowded primary.
Maloney fended off a primary challenge from state senator Alessandra Biaggi to face Lawler in the general election - a contest that was viewed as a toss-up in the final days of the race.
Election Results 2022
Source: Associated Press.
Amy O'Kruk/NBC
