Trump praises vulnerable GOP Rep. Mike Lawler as ‘fantastic’ during a joint rally in New York
SUFFERN, N.Y. — President Donald Trump defended his economic record and praised Republican Rep. Mike Lawler at a campaign-style event Friday, as Lawler vies for re-election in this competitive district that will shape the battle for the House.
Read more No child deaths definitively linked to Covid shots, FDA says
Lawler’s path to victory requires a high-wire act. He needs a strong turnout among pro-Trump “MAGA” Republicans to have any shot at winning. But he also needs significant support from moderate and independent voters in this Hudson Valley district.
“A lot of people are like, it’s crazy that Trump is going there and it could be counterproductive for Lawler. But we need to turn out the GOP base and nobody does that better than Trump,” said a Republican strategist working on House races, who spoke candidly on the condition of anonymity. “Lawler can thread that needle, where he uses Trump to turn out the base and gets the base excited, but also push back where he pushes back.”
Read more From The Sports Desk: Knicks beat down Cavs, pull within two wins of NBA finals
New York Rep. Mike Lawler lists his reason for troops on the ground in Iran
The headwinds are significant for Lawler: Trump’s national approval rating has sunk to 37%, according to a recent poll from the New York Times and Siena College. But the same poll said Trump’s approval is 82% among Republicans.
“Having the president of the United States come to your district is a wonderful opportunity for the community, no matter who the president is,” Lawler, who attended a rally with then-President Joe Biden in his district as well, told NBC News before taking the stage Friday. “If you can’t engage constructively, then how do you expect to get anything done on behalf of your constituents? So having the president here — I think you can see, people are very enthusiastic, they’re very excited to hear from him directly.”
